


Promises of Tomorrow's Yesterday

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: Eternal [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Jason and Tim are both underage so there's no sex, M/M, NO CAPES, Other, Parallel Universe Gotham, Peaceful Gotham, Rebuilding Trust, Reincarnation-ish, Sequel to We're Immortals, This is mainly just romance, genderfluid tim, jaytim freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 03:58:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7343863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason was certain that he should've died. After all, he was the one who'd shot himself in the head. Yet he wakes up in an apartment in Gotham where he's a teenager again. His Mother is alive and Gotham is peaceful. There are no capes and there's no crime. The one question Jason has is if he made it there, does that mean Tim did too?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, the start of the sequel to We're Immortals. I honestly wasn't going to start this yet, but then I just got so excited and literally had four word docs open for various fics and was like I should just do this and post it and get this shit started. Because I KNOW y'all are excited about this with me. That also means this chapter is pretty short. I'm not sure if chapters are going to be long like with the other fic or if I'll just do shorter chapters this time. Shorter chapters will mean updates will be quicker, but I'm making no promises.
> 
> This fic is probably going to be more focused on romance and there's probably not going to be and smut. Kissing is still on the table, obvs, but it's less about the physical. 
> 
> I apologize in advance if this chapter is a little rushed, but I was super excited so there's that. I'll try and do better next time if that's the case. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy! Promises of Tomorrow's Yesterday-let's do this!!!
> 
> <3

                Jason woke with a gasp, chest heaving, and struggling to climb out of the bed he was in. His legs tangled in the blanket and he fell to the floor, looking around himself in a panic. His hand flew up to the side of his head, searching for the bullet hole that should’ve been there and waiting for the feel of blood rushing out of his head. Jason didn’t find anything there and managed to calm his breathing to take a closer look at his surroundings. He didn’t recognize the room he was in. It definitely wasn’t something that he’d ever seen before.

                Jason untangled himself from the blanket and hauled himself back up onto the side of the bed. He thought about who he was and remembered the Gotham that had been his home. He remembered Batman and the rise of the supervillains that worked to take over the city. He remembered living on the streets and jacking Batman’s tires. Jason laughed when he remembered calling the man a ‘big boob.’ He remembered becoming Robin and loving the change that happened to him.

                Jason had become stronger and skilled until the Joker took that away from him and he died. He died, but then he came back and met Tim. The two of them working together with no speck of trust between them. Then they’d finally had that one lucky night when they had sex for the first time and everything just went from there. His memories didn’t stop there though.

                Jason had memories of a different Gotham. A different Jason. Memories of the Gotham he was currently in. It was normal, well, as normal as Gotham had any hope of being. The level of danger was incredibly low and no large crime. There were no supervillains or capes. There was no Batman. He had a Mom and lived in an apartment in the middle-class area of Gotham. He was in school at Gotham High and had decent grades that wouldn’t be turned down by a college. He had close friends in two people named Roy and Kori.

                A knock sounded at Jason’s door. “Jason? If you don’t hurry, you’re going to have to skip breakfast to make it to school on time.”

                “I’ll be out in a minute,” he answered with a grin. He jumped off his bed and moved over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a tee. If he made it here like this, maybe that meant Tim was here too. And if Tim was here… Jason was just giddy thinking about it. They could finally be together and happy. There was nothing here to take life away from them.

                Jason dressed quickly and practically flew out of his bedroom, grabbing his backpack along the way. It was a strange feeling to be this young again. He’d just transferred between worlds or universes, he wasn’t too sure yet, but he still remembered everything that had happened to him and everything that had happened to the him in this life. He knew all about the homework that he’d finished yesterday and how Mrs. Birk was hinting at a pop quiz for Friday.

                Jason hopped into the kitchen and grinned when he spotted his Mother. He ran over and gave her a hug when she turned to face him.

                “Not that I’m complaining, but what’s gotten into you?” she chuckled.

                Jason just shook his head. “Nothing, I’m just really glad to see you.”

                She gave him a pat on the back. “You just saw me last night. Now take a seat and eat your breakfast so you can grab the bus.”

                Jason sat in front of the plate filled with eggs and toast and dug in happily. Strangely the meal was one of the best that he’d felt he’d eaten in a while. Jason chugged his orange juice and hopped out of his chair, pushing his arms through the straps of his backpack. He smiled at his Mom and she returned it. He scrambled out the door excited to see just how much better this life would be for him.

                Jason practically ran down the stairs and out of the apartment building. He turned left and sprinted towards the bus stop where his ride was just pulling up. Jason jumped on, pulling the pass that he knew would be in the side pocket of his backpack out and swiping it over the reader. He grabbed a spot in the middle, not minding having to stand if he was going to be sitting all day. Jason watched the city pass him by, enjoying seeing everything about this city that was both familiar and foreign.

                Once the bus stopped just down the street from Gotham High, Jason got off, swiping his pass yet again. He hurried towards the school, looking at everyone he passed on the way. Some small part of him was hoping that he’d run into Tim, but he didn’t think the possibility was a likely one with how wealthy Tim’s parents had been in the other universe and for how smart Tim was. They were probably at some rich prep school and not the public school that he attended thanks to the nursing job his Mother had.

                Jason weaved through the students easily, using the other Jason’s memories to help him navigate the halls on his path to his locker and classes. The normalcy of it all was exciting. He noticed that some of the other students were giving him weird looks, but he decided to brush it off. If anything was wrong, Jason assumed that he probably wasn’t acting as he normally would in this universe and was far too excited to be in school than he should’ve been. He wasn’t about to let that get in his way after everything that had happened with his other life.

                Jason made it to his first class a few minutes before the bell rang and settled into his seat, ready for the day. He wouldn’t get to meet his new friends until lunch and was satisfied with soaking up as much information as possible during that period of time.

                Jason dragged himself into the cafeteria and grabbed his lunch before finding a table that had a few empty chairs. He didn’t realize how tiring school could be and most of his excitement had dissipated from that morning. Most of his teachers so far hadn’t really cared for him despite the grades that he achieved in each of their classes. He sighed and opened the wrapping on the burger that he’d gotten, taking a bite that surprised him at how good it tasted for being school food.

                “Hey Jason.” Jason looked up just as Roy sat down with his own tray of food.

                “Oh, hey Roy,” he said, taking another bite of the burger in his hands.

                “You look like shit.”

                Jason rolled his eyes. “Thanks, that’s just the look I was going for. Classes have been absolutely brutal today.”

                “I know. It’s like they’re all completely in sync with making our lives hell with assignments, tests, and projects.”

                “You can say that again.” Jason crumpled up his burger wrapper and tossed it onto his tray. He picked up a few of his fries and dipped them in the ketchup that he grabbed earlier, shoving them into his mouth. “So where’s Kori?”

                Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair. “She got super freaked out about all of the assignments that are piling up and went to the library.”

                Jason groaned when he heard the bell ring for their next class and dropped his head into his hands. Reluctantly, he gathered up his backpack and his tray, depositing it in the designated area, and made his way back into the throng of students to continue to long day of classes, going in the opposite direction of Roy.

                Jason trudged out of school after the final bell and made his way over to the bus stop. He felt like a new weight had settled on his shoulders with the threat of school and assignments and this new future that he had to worry about. He no longer had to worry that he might die young one night. It was still a concern, but he liked to believe his mortality rate had gone down largely since he was no longer dressing up each night to go out and fight crime, or direct crime as had been the case with Tim.

                Jason had the urge to go and explore his new city, but chose to go home instead. He had some researching that he needed to do and a certain someone to find. He entered the apartment and found it empty, his brain already knowing that his Mom was still at work. Jason walked over to the desk that housed their shared laptop computer and turned it on. He dropped his backpack next to the chair and sat down, opening the web browser.

                Jason started a search for Tim and was not disappointed with the results. As he’d assumed, Tim’s family was still wealthy and highly publicized in this universe. Drake Manor had been constructed in the same spot and was standing proudly among Gotham’s elite. There were several photos and articles of Tim that popped up, not that Jason was surprised. Everyone wanted to know about the heir to the Drake fortune and how they could make strong connections with him. Jason learned that he attended Anders Preparatory Academy, a private prep school that Bruce had also attended when he was younger.

                The school was relatively close to his own and only seemed to be a twenty minute walk. Jason grinned. Tomorrow he was going to finally see Tim and hopefully get a chance to talk to them. He wondered if they were still genderfluid in this universe. Jason supposed Tim would be considering it would be the same mind just a different body and a different universe. There was nothing in the papers about it, but Jason supposed if it were true, the family would want to keep it under wraps so as not to turn any possible connections away.

                Jason exited out of the internet browser and picked up his bag. He headed to his bedroom, needing to get started on all of the homework assignments that his teachers had so lovingly given all of them. It didn’t matter though. Jason was more than happy to be occupied, because it meant that tomorrow would come faster and the faster tomorrow came, the sooner he’d be able to see Tim again and talk to them.

                Jason heard the front door open and shut as someone entered.

                “Jason?” his Mom called out.

                “I’m here!”

                Jason pulled out his history book and flipped to the chapter they were supposed to read for that night and settled down on his bed against the pillows stacked against the headboard. They were currently learning about the Roman Empire and Jason thought the material was pretty interesting, but not his go-to time period. He did like the idea of the gladiators and some of the training they were put through at a young age. Kind of reminded of his own Bat training in a way.

                After a few pages, Jason found himself struggling to focus on the words and developing a headache. He set the book down and huffed in frustration, not understanding why he was having so much trouble reading. Jason had no problems with it in his other life. He sifted through this Jason’s memories and groaned. Apparently he had reading glasses that he had to wear because he was somewhat farsighted.

                Jason tugged his backpack towards him and started digging through the pockets. It wasn’t long before he found a small glasses case in the front pocket and pulled out a pair of black-rimmed glasses. They reminded him a little of the ones that Tim would wear, but had softer edges that were more rounded. Jason perched them on his face and picked up the book, immediately noticing a difference in his ability to read the text.

                Jason moved through History, Geometry, and English, finishing each subject with ease and eating dinner with his Mom somewhere in between them. It was strange already having all of this knowledge that the other students were learning for the first time, allowing him to make it through the exercises with ease. Definitely a bonus of having already lived another life. He could put more effort towards doing the things that he wanted to do and not the things that were assigned.

                After finishing his assignments, Jason repacked his bag and set his glasses on the bedside table with the case. He got off his bed and changed into a pair of sweats and a shirt. He crawled under the blankets with a book in his hand, intent on getting some well-deserved reading done before bed. Jason smiled as he opened to the first page and grabbed his glasses that were sitting next to him. His excitement was growing as he thought over who he was once again going to see tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God writing slumps absolutely suck. I literally haven't felt like writing for the past few days and this chapter was started on Monday and I wrote three-quarters of it today alone. I was staring at 300 words for two days, tearing my hair out so I'm fully prepared to just shove this at you. 
> 
> I was very happy with the feedback from the first chapter and think the momentum is going to keep going now that I'm tentatively finding a rhythm. 
> 
> TW: references to past suicide
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason bolted upright at the sound of his alarm. He was a little disoriented at first until he remembered where he was and what happened. He reached for his phone and silenced the blaring, upsetting the book that had been left on his chest when he fell asleep. His glasses were sitting crookedly on his face and Jason was thankful that they weren’t broken. His mom would probably get onto him and make him pay for them himself if he were to break them like this _again_.

                Jason set the book on his bedside table and replaced his glasses in their case. He crawled out of his bed and slipped the glasses case in his backpack before walking over to his dresser to get the clothes that he’d need for the day. Jason was about to pick up a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, but stopped himself. He should probably dress a little nicer today since he was headed to Tim’s school and wanted to look good for their first meeting together like this.

                Jason pulled out the nicest pair of jeans he owned: a nice dark wash without any tears or holes in them and looked through his various shirts. Thankfully, there was a nice maroon flannel that he could pair with his pants. Looking in the mirror, Jason was satisfied with his appearance and turned a critical eye to his hair. It was strange to not have the white streak anymore, but he decided to leave it alone thinking doing anything more would look like he was trying too hard. Roy would give him shit for days if he went to that extent.

                Jason rolled up the sleeves of his flannel and pulled on a pair of combat boots. He grabbed his backpack and headed out of his bedroom to get some breakfast. His mom was moving around in the kitchen getting breakfast together and pouring herself a cup of coffee. She looked up and smiled when Jason sat down at the table.

                “Morning, sweetie!” she said brightly and brought over two plates of eggs and toast.

                “Morning, Mom,” Jason said, taking the second plate from her.

                “I have a double shift at the hospital today so I won’t be home until late.”

                Jason nodded around a mouthful of eggs, before biting off a piece of toast. He ate quickly while his mother watched in amusement and leisurely ate her own breakfast.

                Jason stood, still chewing his last bite of toast and grabbed his backpack. He ran around the table and gave his mom a kiss of the cheek before hurrying out the door, a smile slowly forming on his face. He hustled down the stairs and onto the sidewalk that was quickly filling with the morning traffic of students and workers. Jason weaved through them easily and made it to the bus stop. He still had a few minutes before his would arrive and he chose to plug in his headphones to help pass the time.

                Jason scrolled through the playlists that were saved on his phone and was amused to find one that was specifically for his morning commute. He hit play and was immediately surprised as the sound of stringed instruments filled his ears. He was about to change the song, not quite finding the slow melody that invigorating when it changed suddenly. The haunting cello and violin duet morphed into a high intensity technical piece. The tempo was ramped up and drums thundered up from below the sound of the string instruments. Jason would’ve expected to have a grand piano as an addition, but it became apparent that a keyboard was going to be used instead and its sound swelled alongside a synthesizer. The techno-classical or whatever it was called was strangely improving his mood than he would’ve thought possible. This was definitely something that he’d been missing out on.

                By the time that Jason had stepped off the bus and was walking towards his school, he’d learned a few things about the him from this universe. He, apparently, had an extremely diverse music taste. There was a selection of classic rock, 90s boybands, modern day pop, classical, techno-classical, as well as dubstep classical on his phone. Jason had no idea that dubstep classical was even real, but he was certainly not complaining about that after getting one of the best music experiences he’d had in his life. He’d have to remember to do a little more snooping around his new bedroom and get to know himself a little better. It was certainly strange being a mixture of two people and he hoped that no one would get suspicious if they noticed him acting a little differently.

                Jason walked through the halls of his school easily, weaving in and out of students and their groups of friends until he made it to his locker. He got the books that he would need for his morning classes quickly and shut his locker behind him. He turned down the hallway for his first class and readied himself for a long day ahead before he would get to see Tim again.

                Jason breathed out a sigh of relief when he finally sat down across from Roy and Kori with his lunch. His morning classes had been incredibly boring since he already knew all of the information that was being taught. It pained him that he couldn’t use the time to do the things that he really wanted to do, but he did manage to use class time to work on the homework that was assigned for that night, meaning he didn’t have any homework to do once he actually got home. He would probably benefit from getting a gym membership and working out a bit each day now that he wasn’t helping run the Underworld anymore and having to run and fight. After all, he didn’t have the pit to thank for an added growth spurt and intense muscle gain.

                “Who’re you looking so nice for?” Roy asked, smirking around his slice of pizza.

                Jason just glared at him. “Who says I’m looking nice for anyone?”

                Roy’s smirk deepened. “Because you never look that put together unless it’s for a specific reason. And since there’s nothing going on at school today…there must be someone who’s caught your eye.”

                Jason shoved a handful of fries in his mouth and rolled his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

                “Be nice to Jason, Roy,” Kori broke in. “So who are you looking all nice for?”

                Jason groaned and buried his face in his hands. “It’s none of your business.” He went back to eating and saw Roy pouting, which only made him roll his eyes again. “So Kori, I heard that you were in the library yesterday. Did you find what you were looking for?”

                “Yeah, I’m definitely feeling better than I did yesterday about everything that’s going to be due. It’s going to take a lot of work, but I’ll get through it.”

                Jason nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. “I wish I had something to do, I’m bored out of my mind in class.”

                Roy’s expression turned solemn. “I know, man. I can’t wait until we can graduate and get jobs and just start living. When the day comes that I get to move out, it’s going to be a blessing.”

                Jason furrowed his brow. “You’re not going to college?”

                Roy stared at him as though he’d grown a second head. “Of course not! Who in their right mind would want to go to school even longer? Since when have you wanted to go to college anyway? I thought we were going to move out after graduation and get an apartment together?”

                “Oh…uh…it’s been a recent development, I guess. I just figure I should probably go to make sure that I can get a good job.”

                Roy’s smirk returned, full force. “So this is for someone then? I knew there was a reason that you looked so nice today. And little Jay’s already planning out his future. Gotta make sure that you make enough money to support the family! Gonna have a wife and kids?”

                Jason smirked and pushed his chair back when he heard the bell rang, signaling the start of afternoon classes. “Could be a wife. Could be a husband. Could be both. Or could be neither.” He left a gaping Roy and a snickering Kori and carried his tray to the return before heading back out into the mass of students and going to his next class. Jason smiled as he thought over Roy’s reaction. He was definitely looking forward to meeting Tim again. He thought Roy would like them and hoped the two of them would be introduced at some point.

                Jason nearly sprinted out of the school when the final bell rang. He couldn’t even begin to reign in the grin that split his face as he turned in the opposite direction of his bus stop and headed towards Anders. He hoped that he wouldn’t be too late to catch Tim as school let out. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to control himself to take the bus and with how fast he was moving he would probably cut the 20 minute walking distance in half.

                Jason skidded to a halt in front of the large brick façade that was Anders. He was breathing heavily, but he couldn’t bring himself to care because this was Tim’s school and Tim was here. He found a spot for himself up against the brick wall surrounding the campus and leaned against the warm bricks as he tried to calm his breathing down to a more controlled level. He looked over his shoulder and saw the first few students leave the doors. He narrowed his eyes at the uniforms all of the students were wearing and wondered if Tim would have the freedom to wear both pants and a skirt. He certainly didn’t want them to have to feel uncomfortable for nine months out of the year.

                Jason’s eyes scanned all of the students as they came out of the building but he didn’t see a single hint of Tim anywhere among them. After the initial wave of students had passed and the stragglers were the only ones left, Jason’s hope began to dissipate. He assumed that he’d either missed him or he wasn’t in school. He sighed and was just about to turn away when the doors were pushed open and Jason’s breath caught in his throat. Tim was smaller than he remembered and lacking the muscle that they’d built up in their other life from sparring with each other and having to fight. They were wearing the boy’s school uniform and Jason’s heart clenched because Tim honestly looked completely miserable. They tugged at the collar of their uniform, loosening the tie and Jason just knew that this was the Tim that he loved.

                Just as Tim walked past the brick wall, Jason stepped forward. “Tim?”

                They froze in their tracks, eyes going wide. They slowly turned to face Jason, mouth dropping open in shock. “Jason?”

                Jason nodded and stepped forward, ready to pull Tim in his arms when a sharp pain erupted on his cheek, snapping his head to the side. He raised a hand to his face and returned his gaze to Tim who was wearing a look of absolute fury, fists clenched at their sides.

                “Tim?”

                “You bastard!” they snarled. “You fucking shot me in the head! Why did you do that? I trusted you and you go and shoot me!”

                Jason winced at that last part. “Before I get into that part, what are your pronouns today?”

                A flash of surprise crossed Tim’s face as though they hadn’t expected anyone to ask that question. “She/her,” she said, crossing her arms and glancing around them.

                Jason nodded and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. Gotham needed Batman and as much as I wanted to support you and continue living with you, Gotham would’ve fallen apart without Batman. Things would’ve gotten so much worse and I know that you were planning on controlling it all, but what would you’ve done if the Joker or Poison Ivy or Killer Croc had come after you?”

                Tim glared up at Jason. “Did you really underestimate me that much? I would’ve been able to handle them just fine. Gotham wouldn’t have fallen apart because we would’ve been at the helm. The capes wouldn’t be needed if someone competent was in charge.” Her lip curled in disgust. “But I guess none of that matters now, does it?”

                “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

                “Wait…I know that I’m here, for some reason, because you shot me. Why are _you_ here?”

                Jason swallowed and glanced away nervously. “I…uh…the morning after the incident I…shot myself,” he whispered, staring down at his feet.

                Tim’s eyes went wide. “You killed yourself? Why the ever living fuck would you do that?!”

                Jason glanced up at Tim and felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment. “I…oh god, this is embarrassing, but I couldn’t bear living without you.”

                Tim’s mouth hung open in shock before she laughed bitterly. “And, so what? You thought you’d just come here and things would be okay between us again? That we could go back to how things were?”

                Jason shook his head. “No and I wouldn’t deserve it. I didn’t even know there was a here until I was already here. I didn’t even know if you were here, but I was going to take the chance because I wanted to talk to you, regardless of the outcome. I know that things won’t be the same as they were, mainly because the Gotham here is practically crime free, but I still care about you. I still love you and nothing’s going to change that. I just want to, no… _need_ to know that you’re okay.”

                Tim stared up at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. “Well, I’m fine.” Even to Jason’s ears it sounded forced. “And even if I did want to be together in this universe, I obviously can’t trust you.” Jason flinched at those words. “Live your own life, Jason and I’ll live mine. You have your own friends and I’m sure you’ll find someone you care about just as much.”

                Tim turned her back and was making to walk away when Jason spoke up again. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Tim. There’s only ever been one person that I’ve been able to love. Now that I know you’re here, don’t expect me to give up so easily.”

                Tim just shook her head and continued walking down the street, not once looking back at him. Jason just sighed and watched her go. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to earn back her trust. He honestly probably didn’t even deserve to, but he sure as hell was going to try.

                Once Jason couldn’t see Tim any longer, he turned and trudged to the nearest bus stop that was headed back to his apartment complex. As soon as he grabbed a seat on the bus, he plugged in his headphones and started his “Angst” playlist, much to his own amusement, but became unnerved at how accurately the music selection managed to tap into what he was feeling. He stared out the window for the duration of the ride, unseeing as Gotham’s buildings crawled past.

                Jason pushed the apartment door open and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to be home after the day he had and he was glad that his mom wouldn’t be home until later because he didn’t want to have to try to explain what was wrong. It’s not like she would exactly understand that he was actually a Jason from another universe who shot his significant other before shooting himself and that same significant other turned him down today because he shot her and she didn’t trust him anymore.

                Jason kicked off his shoes and walked over to the fridge and pulled the freezer door open. He wasn’t in the mood to eat anything healthy and he smiled sadly at the container of ice cream that was there. He pulled out the tub, double fudge swirl, and set it on the counter, reaching up to grab a bowl from the cabinet and the scoop from the drawer. Jason made himself a generous ice cream sundae and headed into his bedroom. He dumped his backpack on the floor and crawled into bed. He pulled out the small portable DVD player that his mother had bought for him a few years back so he could watch movies in his room. He put in the fourth Harry Potter film and sat back to watch and eat ice cream.

                Jason knew this wasn’t going to be easy and didn’t expect it to be. Tim was an absolute force of nature and never wavered from what she believed in and held strong even in the face of adversity. Had to her whole life due to her gender identity and couldn’t seem weak when trying to take over Gotham and running the Underworld. Despite all of that, he hated to see her so deeply uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to be able to take her in his arms and comfort her and provide solitude from the world around them and knew that his mind was already made up. Jason was going to do everything in his power to show Tim that he could be trusted again and allowed to love her as much as she deserved. He wouldn’t stop trying until he’d earned Tim’s trust back or she beat the shit out of him and forced him to stay away. And maybe not even then.

                Jason was going to give Tim the love and support she deserved and what he wasn’t able to give her last time. Never had he been more grateful for a second chance. Never had he wanted a second chance as badly as he wanted this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Classical dubstep is actually a thing and it's absolutely brilliant. I was listening to some of it on Youtube and I'm in love. Like, seriously, go listen. I need more classical dubstep in my life. Techno-classical is also a thing, but I prefer the dubstep. 
> 
> I'm thinking the next chapter is going to be in Tim's point of view so we'll get to see what their home life is like and how things are going for them, so I hope that you're looking forward to that. 
> 
> *looks at everything that I need to write and groans* Come bully me into writing so that regular updates can possibly perhaps be a thing ----> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Let me know what you thought! Feedback, kudos, and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> <3 MOLIM


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, back with another chapter. I probably could've posted this yesterday, but I got distracted by Netflix and this sweater I was knitting. Which I finished today and it's fucking awesome!
> 
> I actually wrote the first third of this chapter over a livestream which was pretty fun and I'm hoping to do it again. :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Tim spent the entirety of her journey home lost in thought. She herself had been utterly confused upon waking up in this universe with not only her own memories, but those of the Tim from this universe as well. It wasn’t like it was that hard to figure out what had happened in the warehouse. There was only one person who Tim knew that would’ve been behind her and that skilled to put a bullet in her head. Tim sighed and shook her head. She definitely had a lot of thinking to do tonight.

                After she reached Drake Manor, Tim entered the key code and pushed through the front gate. She slowly trudged up the front drive to the porch steps. As she reached the front door, Tim reached into her pocket for her key, but before she could find it, the door was pulled open for her.

                “Master Timothy. Welcome back to the Manor,” their butler, Percy said, bowing.

                Tim winced internally at the use of the male term. “Percy,” she said, nodding in his direction and walking past. She heard the door shut behind her and moved towards the stairs.

                “Will you be needing anything this afternoon, sir?” Percy spoke up from behind her.

                Tim crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders. “No thank you, Percy. I will be fine.”

                “Very good, sir.”

                Tim grit her teeth and continued up the stairs towards her room. Drake Manor certainly wasn’t as big as Wayne Manor and it was bigger than the Golden Palace, so it wasn’t too difficult to navigate, but Tim couldn’t help but miss the home that had become her own. She built the club from the ground up. It had everything she ever needed: an abundance of vehicles, a nightclub if she felt like dancing, a large apartment, and Jason.

                Tim pushed open the door to her room and shut it behind her, immediately sliding the lock into place so she wouldn’t be disturbed. Not that anyone was going to disturb her. The only person that would think to check on her would be Percy and not because he wanted to, but so he could bring her dinner. Tim dropped her backpack to the floor and frantically started pulling at the tie around her neck. She flung the offending article to the ground and immediately ripped off her blazer and toed off her shoes.

                Tim untucked her shirt and frantically started on the button of her pants, already feeling the building pressure behind her eyes as her vision became fuzzy. After unbuttoning her slacks, Tim shoved them to the ground and kicked them away just as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. She stumbled over to her bed and dropped down onto the comforter as her tears came even more fiercely. Tim pressed her hand over her mouth to try and stifle the sobs that were wracking her body.

                She hated this. All of it. Her life was so good when she could just be herself and everyone knew that she was genderfluid. Sure she was judged by some people, but that didn’t stop her from standing up for herself. Others defended her as well, not that she needed it by any means. Tim was fully capable of taking care of herself and everyone knew it, but here… Here no one even _knew._ The Tim of this universe had kept it to herself. Had kept everything bottled up. She wasn’t surprised by how miserable she was here and how empty she felt. It was scary how close this Tim was to offing herself.

                Tim wanted to tell. She wanted to talk to her parents about this, but she was afraid. It didn’t go so well in the other universe and probably wouldn’t make a difference here either. Tim wanted to be acknowledged for who she was and seeing Jason again today made it that much harder because he knew. And he would always know. Tim wanted to hate him. She wanted to hate him with every fiber of her being for what he did and what he took away from her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to grasp onto a deep-seated hatred.

                Tim felt betrayed, but she also knew why Jason did it. She understood his reasons, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. And the fact that he killed himself afterwards… It proved that he couldn’t stand being in that universe without her and regretted his actions. A revelation that made her feel warm inside, much to her own frustration. He’d broken her trust. He’d said that he would support her and what she wanted and then he didn’t. Tim wanted to scream and cry, more than she already was anyway, and she wanted to punch something, but she also felt the connection that had drawn her to Jason in the first place. She felt that attraction and love bubbling up inside her.

                Tim curled up on her side and rubbed the last of her tears away. She had her memories from her past life. She remembered how to fight and would just need to train this body to handle the kind of strain that she’d put up with in the other Gotham. She’d become stronger and have the skills to defend herself. She’d need it if she had any hope of coming out to her family and the rest of Gotham. There would obviously be people who wouldn’t understand and would find her disgusting and she wasn’t about to let herself be at the mercy of them.

                Tim sat up and jumped from her bed. The first thing that she needed to do was find a space to practice her skills. She didn’t exactly have the space at the Manor to train, not that her parents or Percy would notice if she was going off to practice martial arts in one of the spare rooms, but a gym of some sort was the best bet. Tim walked over to where her desk and computer was and sat down, powering up the device. If she was going to get started on this, she had research to do.

                Several hours and gym websites later, Tim had finally found a place that she was satisfied with. Not only did it have cardio and weight equipment, but it also had heavy-weight bags, a ring, and a sparring mat. It seemed like the perfect place to build some muscle and relearn the techniques that she’d once had mastered.

                Tim was becoming excited at these new prospects. If she was going to make a name for herself in the business world as the heir to the Drake fortune, she’d need to be able to back herself up. She never trusted having bodyguards. People could always be corrupted with the right materials. Except for Jason. At least, that’s what she thought until he shot her in the head. Even before she trusted him, the two of them would often meet in the training room and spar against each other to ensure that their skills stayed in top condition.

                But Tim didn’t have an Underworld empire to protect this time and there was no Underworld that had control of Gotham. The dealings here were business and money, something that she had plenty of experience with even if it wasn’t legal. Tim would become the next CEO of Drake industries and her father would know of her gender identity. She always had a strong sense of ambition and she was prepared to face just as much adversity and stigma this time around as before, but she’d gotten through it once and she’d do it again.

                Tim jumped up from her desk chair and ran to where her backpack had been left on the floor to retrieve her wallet. After pulling it she went back to the computer and pulled out her credit card. Why her parents had given her a credit card was beyond her. Probably so that there would be no reason for people to accuse them of neglect. If she had a credit card, she was fully capable of entertaining herself or buying food. Really not a smart move on their part. Tim was surprised that the her of this universe hadn’t abused the privilege yet.

                She checked all of the information on the card and the prices that were listed on the website. It wasn’t really a bad deal at $69 dollars a month when she would have access to the amount of equipment and services that were being offered. The gym wasn’t too far from her home either and was on the route that she would take to and from school meaning she could go there in the afternoons without having to make another trip.

                Tim closed out of the web browser and shut her laptop, pushing away from the desk and turning to her closet. She’d have to go shopping one of these days to and get herself some skirts and dresses. She missed the wardrobe that she’d built in the other Gotham. Tim wondered briefly at the drawer of lace panties that she’d had. Now she really missed those. But that could all be dealt with later.

                Tim grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a muscle shirt. The shirt wasn’t too bad, but basketball shorts? Really? She needed yoga pants and leggings. Stat. Tim pulled on the shorts over the boxer briefs she was wearing and replaced the button down with the muscle shirt. She’d need to get some hand wraps and boxing gloves and assumed those would most likely be available for purchase at the gym. She grabbed a small bag and threw in a towel, a change of clothes, her wallet, and cellphone.

                Tim slipped her arms through the straps of her bag and slid her feet into the tennis shoes that were sitting in her closet and looked brand new. Probably a poor attempt by her parents to try and get her to exercise. Tim was all the motivation she could ever need and her parents’ poor attempt at having a family wasn’t going to change that. She flung open the door to her room and jogged down the stairs to the kitchen.

                Percy looked up as she pushed through the door and walked over to the fridge. “Master Timothy. Is there anything I can get you?”

                “No thanks, Percy” She held up the bottle of water she was there to pick up. “I was just grabbing some water before heading over to check out this gym that I found.”

                Percy stared at her as she left the kitchen. “Gym…?”

                Tim jogged down the steps of Drake Manor and towards the front gate. She pushed the button that unlocked the gate for her and passed through easily, turning back towards town. She hadn’t felt this motivated or looked forward to something so much since she’d gotten here a few days ago. She was finally happy or getting close to experiencing a true sense of happiness. It was nice. She wanted to keep the feeling going.

                Tim stopped in front of a large building amidst other shops and businesses and read over the clean, neat sign that adorned the front of Bane’s Gym. She squared her shoulders, doing her best to imitate the posture that would have had the people working for her shaking where they stood and pushed through the front door. She was aware of the electronic beep that signaled her arrival and commended the place for its presence of security.

                Tim found herself in a front lobby where a woman was working the front desk. There was another set of doors that had a card scan for admittance. Tim smiled, actually impressed by the place’s dedication. She was even surer that the monthly fees would be worth this place.

                “Hello! Welcome to Bane’s Gym. How may I help you?” the woman behind the desk asked.

                Tim smiled at her. “Afternoon. I found this gym’s website and was interested in having a tour of the facility and possibly joining.”

                “Wonderful! Let me just get the manager and he can show you around.” Tim watched as she leaned over and pressed a button on the keypad sitting on her desk. A few moments passed before the doors leading into the gym were pushed open to reveal a very tall and very broad man.

                “Yes? How may I help you?”

                Tim turned to face him. “I was hoping for a tour of your facilities and to hear more about your membership offerings.”

                The man smiled and held open the door for Tim. “Come right in. My name’s Bane and welcome to my gym.”

                “Tim,” she said and smiled, walking through the open door. Her eyes immediately roved over the space within. The gym was extremely large and it must’ve cost a lot of money to find a space this open in Gotham when properties were in high demand.

                “As you can see we have a very wide open space. I find that it helps to remove any sort of confinements as much as possible such as low ceilings or rooms that are sectioned off with only a few pieces of equipment inside. It’s not designed to encourage communication between people, mainly because no one goes to the gym to meet new people and talk, but it allows for freedom of movement. There’s no sense of restriction or lack of open space.”

                Bane started walking Tim in a circle around the gym, pointing out all of the different equipment. “Our cardio equipment is pretty standard. We have treadmills and stationary bikes, as well as stair climbers and rowing machines. It’s recommended that if you don’t know how to use a rowing machine, you ask for proper instruction because we don’t want anyone to injure their back. For our weight equipment, we only have a few weight machines and most of what we provide is free weight style. There are multiple squat racks and bench presses for use as those can become crowded fairly quickly.

                “As was hard to miss, we do have a ring that some of our patrons use to box each other. They also practice their punches on the heavyweight bags lining the wall. If stepping into the boxing ring isn’t your style or you want a larger space to work on technique, we also have sparring mats. There are a few patrons who come to practice martial arts and you might see them here on the mats working with each other to keep up their training. We don’t offer many fitness classes as we don’t have the demand or the space, but a large number of our patrons join in on a yoga class multiple times per week.”

                After completing the circuit of the room, Bane turned towards the changing rooms. “Let me take you through the locker and changing rooms.” They walked into a space filled with a large number of lockers and benches. Tim saw both men and women in the room and looked to Bane for an explanation. “All of our lockers are in the same place and no changing is allowed in the locker area. This was developed mainly due to a lack of space on our part since we dedicated so much of it to equipment, but our patrons, both cis and non-cis alike, have felt they’ve benefitted from the arrangement.

                “Through here we have the bathrooms, changing stalls and showers. There are no urinals and only stalls since we have the one room. Each shower and changing stall is separate and once inside in order to lock the door, you place your ID card in the card holder which prevents anyone else from entering while you’re inside.” Bane turned from where he was indicating in the stall and faced Tim. “So, what do you think? Ready to hear about the different memberships we have?”

                Tim smiled. “Definitely.”

                “Great! Let’s just head to my office and we can discuss your options.” Tim followed Bane out of the locker room and across the floor to where an office was located. Once inside, Bane took a seat behind his desk and Tim sat across from him in a chair. Bane pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across the desk towards Tim. “Now we have three different memberships. The first one is our most basic. You’ll have access to all of the equipment as well as the locker room, but won’t be able to participate in any of the classes that we offer or the special events that are offered for the more expensive memberships. That plan is $50 a month.

                “Our second plan, which is the premium, allows for access to all of the equipment and facilities as well as our membership classes and special events that the gym hosts every few weeks. The events are completely social based and can be anything from obstacle course races to spar nights. We’ve even had a couple events where we brought in parkour experts and created a whole different setup and taught the members the basics of parkour. There was this other time that we set up laser tag in here as well, but now I’m getting off track. This plan costs $69 a month.

                “Finally, our ultimate all access plan, gives you access to all of our equipment and facilities, the fitness class, social events, and it throws in the added benefit of having personal training. Personal training sessions are anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and the plan includes training up to three times a week. If you decide to go with this plan, you may purchase additional training at your own expense and training is also offered to those who don’t have the ultimate plan. This would cost $79 a month. Any questions about our plans?”

                Tim nodded. “With the training, what types of training are your workers specialized in? Is it just strength training and cardio or do you do boxing and sparring as well?”

                “Our trainers have some minor boxing skills, but definitely no experience with sparring. We’re actually looking to bring someone on who has those skill sets so if you know anyone feel free to let them know we’re looking.”

                Tim hummed and nodded. “I’ll go with the premium plan then.”

                “Great!” Bane opened up a file drawer next to him and pulled out a few papers. “This top one is your personal information that we need and includes a section for any sort of medical conditions that we might need to be aware of. The second form is our contract that you’ll need to read over and sign stating that you understand the rules and regulations of our facility. It prohibits any form of hateful actions towards our other clientele as well as asking you to refrain from any language that is hateful towards a group of people based on religion, gender, sexuality, etc. Failure to do so could result in the termination of your membership. While you’re reading over those I would be happy to see your credit card and get that put into the system.”

                Tim handed over her credit card and turned to the forms, filling them out quickly. She was pleased with what was included in the facilities rules and was glad that there were protections for her even though Bane didn’t need to know she was genderfluid. She would simply have to inform him if someone was making her uncomfortable and he would take care of it.

                Tim handed over the signed forms and received her card back. “Now we’ll just need to get a picture of you for your gym ID. This will allow you access to the gym and needs to be swiped in order to unlock the doors. Just face the webcam for me and flash your brightest smile.”

                Tim had no problem doing what was asked of her. This was definitely the happiest that she’d felt since coming here and she was happy to have a safe space that she could go to.

                “Beautiful.” Bane entered a few more things into the computer and took the forms, inputting that information as well. “Now we are a facility that is open for 24 hours a day which is allowed through the key card access, but we only have a staffed front desk during daytime hours so you should be careful of any possible risk in the evenings.” Bane swiped a card through the reader that was connected to the computer and handed it over to Tim with a satisfied smile. “There you are. You’re all set. If you have any problems don’t hesitate to come talk to me or whoever is running the front desk. Feel free to use the facilities today now that your account’s activated.”

                “I will. Thank you. One more thing. Do you happen to sell hand wraps and gloves for the bags?”

                “Yeah we do, actually. Do you have a color preference for the wraps? We can easily charge this to your account so you don’t have to pull out your credit card again.”

                “Red. And MMA gloves if you have them.”

                Bane moved and pulled open the door to a storage closet. He disappeared inside and Tim heard him rummaging through boxes. He emerged a moment later holding a pair of red hand wraps and black gloves. “Here you go,” he said handing them to Tim.

                “Thanks.” Tim tucked the gloves and wraps under her arm and walked out of the office, slipping the ID card into her backpack. She had quite a few frustrations that she needed to work out as she toned up. She just wished that she had a sparring partner. Tim headed to the bags lining the wall. It was time to see what her body could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited for Tim to kick some ass, even if it is just on that sparring mats in a gym. I just can't not have Tim without awesome fighting skills. 
> 
> My tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> <3 MOLIM


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so stoked about this chapter! I hope you guys like it as much as I do because I'm excited! 
> 
> Thanks so much to Brambles for coming up with the name for the bookstore while we were chatting today! I absolutely love it and it's so cute!!!! :D
> 
> Kudos and Comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason had been staring up at the ceiling for a while when his alarm finally went off. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and shut off the noise. He’d been thinking about his talk with Tim the day before and if he was being honest with himself, he probably expected a reaction like that from Tim in some form or fashion. He had shot them after all. Jason sat up and kicked the covers off his legs. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to convince Tim that they still mattered to him.

                Jason got up from his bed and walked over to his dresser, pulling out some clothes for the day. He wanted to support Tim. They obviously needed it with having to hide their genderfluidity. He wasn’t around last time when Tim had to come out to their parents, but he knew a few of the details and it hadn’t been pretty. That was before Tim had basically taken over the Underworld and when Tim had a bit of a bad day, he wished he could’ve been there for them during that time.

                But he could be there now. And he was determined to be. He wanted to take them shopping and help them feel comfortable in any clothes that they wanted. Jason wanted to support Tim so that they could feel pretty again and not feel ashamed about wanting to feel pretty. Not that Tim was ever ashamed, but it was hard. In a world that was constantly putting them down…it was hard.

                Jason gathered up his backpack and the empty ice cream container form the night before and headed to the kitchen. It was empty and he knew that his mom was still sleeping from the long shift she’d been assigned the day before. He moved quietly, determined not to disturb her. She deserved the sleep after all with the work that she had to do in order to raise him on her own. He slid a bagel into the toaster and looked at his mom’s bedroom door fondly as it cooked. He loved his mom. He was really glad to have her back.

                Jason spread some cream cheese on his bagel when it was done and sat down to eat at the kitchen table. It was Friday and he’d have the whole weekend to himself. Kori would be too worried about projects to hang out if he and Roy wanted to do something, but Jason wasn’t sure if that was going to happen. He supposed he could start looking for a job. That would let him make some money on the side and he didn’t want to ask his mom for money when she was already doing enough for them.

                After finishing his breakfast, Jason put his dirty plate in the sink and grabbed his backpack, heading out the door. He scrolled through the playlists on his phone and located the one for his morning commute and hit play, letting the music swell and fill his headphones as he nodded along to the beat. He’d have to ask his mom about getting a job when he got home. They could brainstorm ideas and fill out applications over the weekend.

                Jason hopped off the bus at his stop and headed into school. The hallways were already filled with students talking to each other, the crescendo of voices echoed through the hall as groups of friends made plans for the weekend when they all finally had a break from classes and schoolwork. He quickly navigated his way through the students and made a quick stop at his locker, grabbing the books he’d need for his morning classes. He was fairly certain that he had a pop quiz this morning and he was ready to get that over with.

                Jason only half listened in his classes. He finished the homework assignments as his teachers gave the lessons and often had extra time in class where he didn’t have anything to do. He wished that he could pull out a book and read, but that would be far too obvious. At least he contented himself with having no homework, especially since it was the weekend.

                Once morning classes were over, Jason moved to the cafeteria, grabbing some sort of meatloaf and mashed potatoes before finding Roy and Kori at a table in the corner.

                “So how was your little date yesterday?” Roy immediately asked.

                Jason stared at him, forkful of food halfway to his mouth. He set his fork back down and buried his face in his hands.

                “That bad, huh?” he said, sympathetically.

                “It wasn’t a date, Roy.” Jason groaned. “Can we please leave this subject alone?”

                “So you did meet up with someone! You wanted it to be a date though, right?”

                Jason stared across the table at Roy and saw Kori lean in closer, obviously interested in what he was going to say. “It wasn’t even close to being a date. Honestly, I can’t believe you two. I was just meeting…an old friend.”

                “Sounds like more than just an old friend to me.”

                “Roy can we, I don’t know, not do this today?”

                 “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Jason. It’s not a big deal if you have a little crush,” Kori broke in.

                “There’s nothing that I’m ashamed of.” That wasn’t entirely true, but Jason sure as hell wasn’t ashamed of his sexuality or who he liked. He couldn’t exactly tell them that he was from another universe and had been in a relationship with Tim Drake of all people. The only thing more shocking is if he’d said that he was dating Dick. He furrowed his brow. He wasn’t even sure where Dick was. Hell, he could still be in the circus for all he knew. After all, Jason’s own mother was alive.

                “Look, I was just meeting up with an old friend and things didn’t exactly go as smoothly as they could have. That’s pretty much it.”

                Kori reached a hand across the table and covered Jason’s own. “Well if you ever want to talk about it, we’ll be here.”

                “Thanks, but there’s really nothing to talk about.” It was more like he couldn’t talk about it with them. Jason picked up his fork and returned to his lunch, glad that the conversation was turning to another topic and he could just listen in for once and not have to worry about what was going on around him.

                The remainder of Jason’s classes went smoothly. He had quite a bit of time to think during them when he wasn’t doing his homework assignments and decided that he would try and see Tim again today. He wasn’t sure if it would be too soon, but he also knew that he wanted to earn Tim’s trust again and show that he cared about them. There was no better opportunity then to catch him after school. His mom might wonder where he was, but he could just say that he’d met up with a friend for a little bit. It wasn’t entirely a lie and the idea of job-hunting would be a new distraction that would take her mind off of it.

                Jason trudged along the sidewalk after classes got out and made his way to Anders. Since he wasn’t in a hurry today he arrived just as the first students were walking out of the building. Many groups of friends were talking excitedly as they had been doing at Jason’s school. These teenagers probably had some ridiculous plans to go horseback riding or something. They had the money for it after all.

                Jason waited patiently as the wave of students gradually lessened and fewer people were emerging from the building, finally perking up when he saw Tim walk out, looking far more comfortable than they day before, which made Jason suspect they weren’t a girl today. They also had a gym bag slung over their arm, making Jason curious as to where they were going. It made him think back to the days when they would spar together. What he wouldn’t give to get back in the ring with Tim. Although he wasn’t sure how well he would hold up after not having trained with this body.

                Jason stepped around the corner just as Tim was approaching the front gate. Tim stopped in their tracks when they took him in, eyes narrowing.

                “What do you want, Jason?” they asked.

                “Uhh…” Jason began stupidly. “First, pronouns?”

                Tim’s eyes narrowed further. “They/them. Now what do you want?”

                Jason rubbed the back of his neck, nervously and grinned sheepishly. “I’m not too sure, really. I just wanted to make sure that you were doing okay.”

                Tim huffed and moved to step around him. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get to the gym.” They winced as soon as the words left their mouth. Tim obviously didn’t want Jason to know about that.

                Jason perked up. “Gym? What I wouldn’t give to spar with you again.”

                “Well you aren’t going to. Bye, Jason. Please leave me alone.”

                Tim turned and Jason let them walk a few feet before calling out to them. “I’m not going to give up, Tim.”

                Tim looked back at him sharply. “Be as persistent as you want to be. It’s not going to change my mind.”

                “Somehow I doubt that. See you around, Tim.”

                Tim shook his head and Jason watched them walk away, not leaving until they were out of sight. He pulled out his headphones and put on one of his playlists while making his way to the nearest bus stop that would take him home. He had a lot of work to do and hoped that his mom would be able to help him out. Jason briefly wondered if his apartment complex had a gym. He hadn’t considered that possibility before and it would allow him to work out without having to pay an additional fee for another place. That would also let the money that he would get when he hopefully found a job be saved up or spent elsewhere.

                Jason walked up to his apartment slowly, twirling his keys around his finger as he took the stairs one at a time. The place was quiet, the other students having already made it home or were out with friends to enjoy their time off. He inserted his keys into the lock and pushed open the door.

                “Hi Mom,” he greeted her cheerfully when he noticed her on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table.

                “Welcome home, Jason,” she said patting the cushion beside her. Jason took the seat, kicking off his shoes and putting his feet up next to his mom’s. “Have a good day at school?”

                “Yeah,” he nodded. “I was wondering…”

                “What’s up?” she asked, throwing an arm around him and pulling him closer.

                “How would you feel about me getting a part-time job?’

                “Any particular reason why?”

                Jason shrugged and scratched his cheek. “I just thought it might be nice to make a little extra money if I wanted to go out with friends or buy something for myself.”

                Jason’s mother nodded, mulling over the thought. “Have you thought about where you might want to work?”

                “I’ve been trying to come up with ideas all day, but haven’t really known what I could do.”

                She hummed. “Well retail’s always an option…that might be your best bet. There’s always food service, but I’m sure you probably don’t want to work with fast food all day. You could always look for openings at a bookstore! You love to read and it’d be the perfect place for you!”

                Jason smiled. “Wow, I never even thought of that!”

                “I think Nooks around the corner might be hiring actually.”

                “Really? They don’t close until later right?”

                “Yeah, want to take a trip down there tonight? We could go out to eat?”

                Jason grinned. “At Harry’s?”

                His mom nodded. “Definitely! Go put your things away and I’ll grab my purse and we can go.”

                Jason hopped up from the couch and grabbed his backpack, practically running down the hall only to throw it onto his bed. He raced back to the front door where his mom was laughing and waiting for him. As the headed down the hallway, she wrapped an arm around Jason’s shoulders and he slung one around her waist.

                “Hey! You know what else? If you end up working at Nooks then you’ll probably get discounts on books!”

                Jason grimaced. “Great…all of the money that I make working there will just go back to the shop so I can buy more books.”

                Jason’s mom nodded her head solemnly. “Oh dear Lord, what am I ever going to do with you. Such a delinquent for reading books. This type of thing surely has never even been heard of before. Much too dangerous of an activity for a boy your age to partake in.”

                Jason giggled, pulling his mom closer. “Love you, Mom.”

                She smiled as they continued down the block. “Love you, too, Jason.”

                Jason and his mom approached the small storefront that led into Nooks, Books, and Crannies, the best bookstore that sold both new and used books in Gotham in Jason’s opinion, and saw that there was indeed a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window. Jason always appreciated the outside of the store. It was a wooden façade that had been kept over the years, the owners of the building had refused to remodel because of how it looked. Everyone else thought the exterior of the shop was quant and loved taking pictures of it.

                The two walked inside and Jason breathed in the smell of books, letting the scent relax him like nothing else could. There were a few people inside, but it was relatively quiet for a Friday afternoon. The crowds usually came later in the evening when live music was playing and they could all sit down and enjoy themselves with their friends. Jason thought absentmindedly that he’d like to bring Tim here sometime.

                They spotted George behind the counter and he waved them over excitedly. “Well, haven’t seen you two in a while. You haven’t grown out of your reading phase, have you Jason?”

                Jason put hand over his heart as though the very idea was something blasphemous. “George, I would never…”

                George chuckled and ruffled Jason’s hair. “I’m just messing with you. So what brings the two of you here on this lovely Friday evening?”

                “Well Jason here,” she said, patting him on the back, “was thinking about getting a part time job and I knew you were hiring so we thought this might be the perfect place for him.”

                George ran his hands over the stubble on his face. “Looking for a job, eh? I was hoping for someone that might be able to work more than just part time and have a little more flexibility than someone who was still in school, but we might be able to work something out. I could always hire someone else to come in during the days as well.”

                Jason felt his hopes drop just a little bit, but what George said made sense. Suddenly, one of the customers came and stood next to them.

                “Ah, Bane!” George perked up. “How can I help you?”

                The other man held up a book and Jason realized who exactly it was standing next to them. “I was just hoping to get this copy of _A Tale of Two Cities_ that you had, but I couldn’t help overhearing what you were talking about.” He turned to Jason and looked him over. “You’re looking for a job, eh?”

                Jason nodded and smiled politely. “Yes, sir!”

                “Well, I run a gym and you wouldn’t happen to have any experience with boxing or sparring would you? I’ve been looking for someone that might have the skills to give personal training sessions, but haven’t found anyone yet. Over the years I’ve learned that you tend to find the people you’re looking for in unexpected places.”

                Jason’s mom’s forehead wrinkled at the thought. “Jason doesn’t have any experience with martial arts. He’s never had lessons or training or anything.”

                Jason looked at his mom out of the corner of his eye. That wasn’t necessarily true. He had a lot of training with his other life and remembered all of the moves, it was only a matter of whether or not he would be able to complete them successfully without having practiced and when he lacked the muscle memory.

                “I wouldn’t mind having a go and showing you what I’m capable of doing. I don’t want to waste your time, but there’s really no harm in it, is there? If I’m not the person you’re looking for, then I’m not the person you’re looking for.”

                Bane looked him over again with a smile. “I suppose you’re right. Will you be able to stop by sometime tomorrow? Saturday mornings don’t tend to be too busy and I could take you onto the mats when the staff comes in and starts to run the front desk.”

                Jason grinned, excitedly. “Sure!”

                “Jason, are you sure…?” his mom asked hesitantly.

                “Like the boy said, there’s no harm in trying. And he won’t be going at it like some sort of street brawl. We’ll be in a safe and controlled environment where he won’t get hurt. Well, maybe a few bruises, but that’s nothing that won’t heal in a few days,” Bane broke in.

                Jason looked up at his mom hopefully. “Please, Mom?”

                She sighed. “Oh all right…” She turned her attention back to George. “Is the offer still on the table though if this doesn’t work out?”

                George nodded, grinning. “Certainly! I’ll still be looking for help regardless. And like I said, I’m sure we can work something out that benefits everyone and gives Jason a taste of the working world. Now, Bane, I can ring that up for you if you like?”

                Bane nodded and handed him the copy of the book he’d picked up. While George was scanning it, he pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Jason. “Meet me there tomorrow at 8am and we’ll get started.”

                Jason nodded, slipping the card into his pocket. “Thank you, very much.”

                Bane nodded his head and returned his attention to George.

                Jason’s mom nudged him. “Do you want to look around a bit or go get something to eat?”

                “I can look around a bit?” Jason asked, eyes shining.

                His mom held up her index finger. “One book, Jason. One book.”

                Jason hugged her gleefully and hurried further into the store, eyes scanning the shelves quickly. He moved past the non-fiction section and headed further back to the middle of the shelves of fiction books. There weren’t any more classics that he was looking for at the moment and thought it might be nice to try something new. His eyes roamed the shelves until the spine of a blue book with gold lettering caught his eye. Jason pulled it from the shelf and looked over the cover art.

                There was a blue dragon on the front and the title, _Eragon,_ in bright gold lettering stood out against the cover. He’d seen this one before. Jason flipped it over and read the description on the back. He thought over the concept of Dragon Riders and mysterious blue eggs. It’d been a while since he’d encountered anything fantasy related and thought this might be a good choice. It was part of a series so that was always a bonus. He loved stories that continued on past the final page. It was always exciting to see what happened next.

                Jason walked back to the front of the store and handed the book back to his mom. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Fantasy, huh? Not what I expected today.” She flipped the book over and scrutinized the back cover just as Jason had and nodded approvingly. “Sounds like a good choice. Deciding to take a break from the 19th century literature for a change?”

                Jason shrugged. “I haven’t found anything new to look into yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as something comes up.” He handed the book to George who rang it up quickly and slipped it into one of the store’s smaller bags, handing it to Jason has his mom placed the bills on the counter.

                George waved to them as they walked out of his store and headed to the diner down the street. It was Jason’s favorite place to eat out and was one of those ‘50s style restaurants with the best burgers and milkshakes that Jason had ever had in Gotham. He’d have to keep himself from spending all of the money that he made while working on the food here. If he did, he would really need that gym membership more than anything else.

                As he sat at the diner counter with his mom, he thought back to the offer that Bane had made him in the bookstore. It was strange seeing someone again who’d been such a villain in Gotham, but it was nice all the same. He wondered if in his old home this is how things would’ve turned out if given the chance rather than how everything managed to go to shit. Jason was glad for it though. It gave him hope in a way. Things could be better here. He’d make sure of it if nothing else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super excited about this chapter because Jason has his interview at the gym and things happen and I'm happy and excited to share it with all of you!!!! Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the livestream and watched me write most of it, it was a good time. :)
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading so far and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Here's my tumblr if you're interested in my goings on or have questions about my fics or anything else: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason groaned as the sound of his alarm cut through the peaceful dreams he was having. Normally he wouldn’t be up so early on a Saturday, but he had an interview to go to. He rolled over to the side of the bed and stood up, yawning. Jason knew that he’d stayed up far too late the night before, but he hadn’t been able to put down the new book he’d gotten from Nooks. As soon as Eragon had found the dragon egg in the first chapter, he knew he was hooked.

                Jason shuffled through his drawers, searching for something that would be appropriate for sparring and came up empty with his preferred clothes. He settled on a pair of basketball shorts and a fitted tank top. It was better than nothing, but he would’ve preferred a fitted pair of pants or spandex. Jason slipped on his tennis shoes and grabbed a backpack to bring a snack and bottle of water in, heading out to the kitchen.

                His mom was already sitting at the kitchen table dressed for work. She was sipping a cup of coffee and reading over the morning paper, smiling when she saw him walk in.

                “Someone looks a bit tired. Stay up too late reading?” she asked with a knowing smile.

                Jason grimaced and nodded, knowing that he couldn’t hide that from his mom. He grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit and sat down at the table across from her.

                “Are you excited?” she asked as Jason bit into the fruit.

                He nodded. “Yeah. Even if I don’t get the job, I think it’ll be fun to see what the place is like.”

                “We’ll if you’re looking for a place to work out, remember that our building does have a facility for its residents.”

                Jason mulled over what his mom said. “I haven’t been down to it, have I?” he asked.

                She shook her head. “No. I’ve only been down there once since work keeps me so busy. It’s not the biggest place, but it’s got some pretty decent equipment for everyone who lives here.”

                Jason stood from the table and threw his apple core in the trash. “I think I’ll check it out after the interview.” He grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and tossed it into his bag with a re-usable water bottle, planting a quick kiss on his mom’s cheek as he walked past. “I’ll see you later!”

                “Bye, honey!” his mom called as he pulled the door shut behind him.

                Jason walked down the hallway quickly and entered the elevator, taking it down to the lobby, which was deserted for being so early on a Saturday. He pushed through the double doors and turned towards his bus stop a few feet away. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the playlists that were on it, searching for one that he hadn’t listened to yet. Jason plugged his headphones in and started one that looked up beat and happy.

                He hummed to himself as he got off at the stop a block down from the gym. He looked over the large building as he got closer. It offered a nice contrast to the other business around it and looked immaculately clean despite the industrial looking sign. Jason pushed through the front door, vaguely registering the electronic beeping that announced his arrival. There was a young man sitting behind the desk who looked up and smiled when he came in.

                “Can I help you?” he asked politely.

                “Uh, yeah. My name’s Jason Todd. I met Bane yesterday and he asked me to stop in this morning for an interview…?” he trailed off uncertainly, but the secretary’s eyes lit up with recognition.

                “Of course! He told me a young man was coming in today.” He leaned over and pressed one of the many buttons that was situated on a keypad next to the computer.

                Jason fidgeted as silence descended between the two of them and he waited for Bane to make an appearance. A few moments passed before the other door was pushed open, the doorway completely filled by Bane’s broad stature.

                “Welcome,” he said, grinning. “I’m glad you could make it. Come in, come in.”

                Jason walked through the doorway, reminded of how young he actually was despite feeling years older. The moment he stepped through the doorway, he stared in awe at the room around him. The place was huge and had more equipment than he thought possible for a regular gym in Gotham.

                Bane gestured to the area around him, noticing Jason’s shocked expression. “I’ve always prided myself in having the best for my clients and provide them with anything that I could ever want in the hopes that they find it useful. Granted, that explains the membership prices, but I’d say it’s worth it for everything that we offer.

                Jason nodded dumbly, still looking around him as Bane let him over to the mats on the further side of the room.

                “Feel free to stretch and warm-up. I’ll be right back with a pair of hand wraps and a couple pairs of gloves so we can get started. I want to see how you handle a heavy bag, how you move by yourself on the mat, and how you face sparring against someone else. We usually have a group of guys come in and practice so by the time we get to that, there’ll probably someone here who’s interested in giving it a go with you.”

                Jason nodded, already going through his stretches to warm up his muscles. He could already tell how out of practice he was and knew if he was in a real fight, he wouldn’t be lasting long. After going through his leg stretches, Jason moved to the center of the mat and took up his stance. His body felt a little awkward in the pose despite holding himself correctly and Jason noted that he probably needed to work on his balance.

                He took a steadying breath, centering himself. Upon opening his eyes, Jason took a step forward throwing a few uppercuts and jabs. He was pleased that his movements were still sharp and precise despite everything else. He worked through the same combination, throwing in a few straight kicks and a roundhouse. Satisfied with his form, Jason began more complex combinations. He added more kicks, backwards roundhouses, and even a few ankle sweeps, those being his most weak since he didn’t quite have enough upper body strength to hold himself up correctly. Sweat had already started to form on his skin when a voice spoke up behind him.

                “You’re not half bad,” Bane said holding out a new pair of wraps.

                Jason took them with a nod and started to wrap his hands. “I need some strength training to improve and tone the muscles in my upper body for a few of those moves, but I’m happy that I haven’t lost all of my balance.”

                Bane nodded. “I actually wasn’t expecting a few of those kicks to come from you or those hand combinations, but like I said yesterday, you never know when you’re going to get a surprise. Let’s head over to the heavy bag and we can see what kind of force you can pack behind those punches.”

                Jason nodded and grabbed the boxing gloves first, leaving the MMA ones for the sparring he’d do later. Bane moved behind the bag and held it steady with his weight.

                He nodded at Jason. “Okay, when you’re ready go through some of those hand combinations you were using to warm up with.”

                Jason took another deep breath to center himself. He felt the muscles in his stomach tighten as he faced the bag, holding his body steady. What was mere seconds felt to be minutes for Jason, but he let himself go and let his fists reach the target with deadly accuracy. He was pleased by Bane’s surprised expression after his first punch and gained a little more confidence with each hit the bag took.

                After a while Bane nodded at him and Jason started adding kicks to his combinations, putting even more pressure on the big. He thought he saw Bane wince ever so slightly under the force, but he couldn’t be sure and didn’t dwell on it, turning his attention instead to the next hit or kick, making sure he made his movements connect where he wanted them to. Everything started to both blur together and stay in razor-sharp focus.

                Bane took a step back, releasing his hold on the bag seconds before Jason’s last roundhouse connected strongly with it. The sandbag jangled heavily on the metal chain, forcing it to rattle loudly where it was connected to the metal bars. Jason stepped back as it swung back and forth, breathing heavily. He tried in vain to wipe away the sweat that was dripping down his face. Bane looked over him appreciatively.

                “That was pretty impressive. Since I’ve already seen a little of what you can do alone, I want to get some hand pads to see how well you move. Feel free to change gloves while I grab those.”

                Jason nodded, already pulling the gloves from his hands. He set them next to the others and fished out his water bottle, taking a long drink to cool himself. He recapped the bottle and picked up the other pair of gloves, sliding his fingers through the openings. Jason clenched and unclenched his fists a few times to get a better sense of how they fit him.

                He walked over to the center of the sparring mats as Bane joined him once again, hands fit snugly behind the thick layers of the hand pads.

                “Now I just want to see how you move. Your goal is to hit the pads. Focus on accuracy, not power or strength.”

                Jason nodded and took up his stance. He waited for Bane’s nod, before moving forward. The first punch that connected with one of Bane’s hands sent a thrill racing through Jason’s body and drove him to move faster. Hit more. Connect his punches and kicks and avoid the retaliations that Bane sent his way. Dodging. Ducking, Moving more fluidly than he felt he had in _years_.

                He’d missed this. Even though it’d only realistically been a few days. Jason had missed pushing his body in a dance with someone else, even though this one was far from dangerous. Jason grinned through his shortness of breath, following Bane move for move around the mats. The other man tried to force him back, but it was Jason who was forcing _him_ back and he was obviously surprised.

                Bane made a swipe for his head and on reflex Jason ducked, dropping into a crouch and threw his leg out, tangling it with Bane’s and sending him to the floor with a thud. He looked up at Jason in surprise and Jason was just as surprised in himself. He hadn’t even thought about the reaction, it’d just happened.

                He rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. “Sorry, reflex,” he explained.

                Bane just shook his head, grinning. He pulled himself off the floor and pulled the pads from his hands. “No worries. That was really good, actually. It shows that you have the confidence and experience to go at it with someone without backing down in fear of hurting them. Not that I’m telling you to outright brawl with the patrons or anything,” he added hastily.

                Jason chuckled. “Nah, there’s no need for it.”

                Bane nodded and looked around him. “Now let’s find someone for you to spar with so I can get a big picture idea of how you move with other people instead of just me.”

                With a start, Jason realized how many people had filed into the once empty space. He hadn’t noticed that the other patrons were even coming in, he’d been so entranced in the movements of his body. There were a few people who’d been watching, obviously appreciating the skill that had been shown regardless of how young Jason was.

                “ _Jason?!”_ a voice practically screeched behind him.

                Jason turned, startled to find who had called out to him. There, standing at the edge of the mat was Tim holding a small duffle bag and staring at him in shock.

                “Tim! Welcome back. You know Jason?” Bane asked after Tim’s outburst caught his attention.

                Tim narrowed their eyes at Jason suspiciously. “Yeah, you could say that.”

                Bane snapped his fingers. “Tim, you were looking for someone to spar with and I need to watch how Jason does, why don’t you two take this opportunity and face off on the mats?”

                Tim stared at Bane like he’d grown another head.

                “Sounds good to me!” Jason said happily, grinning as excitement swelled within him.

                Tim stared at Jason and furrowed their brow in confusion.

                “Great! How about it, Tim?” Bane asked eagerly.

                They narrowed their eyes and dropped the duffle to the floor. Tim bent down and rifled inside, pulling out their hand wraps and gloves. They wrapped their hands quickly and slid their fingers through the openings, moving to stand opposite Jason in the center of the mat. Bane stepped back as the two of them took up their stances.

                “Whenever you’re ready.”

                The sentence hadn’t even entirely left Bane’s mouth before Tim launched themself at Jason. Jason grinned and matched him move for move, each getting in a few good jabs with how rusty their blocks were. Jason noticed with amusement that Tim was aiming for all of the areas that would hurt the most if his attacks connected.

                “Pronouns?” he asked as he blocked one of Tim’s kicks and retaliated with a roundhouse of his own.

                Tim ducked the shot, not that Jason expected anything less. “He/him,” he said, narrowing his eyes and sending another kick to Jason’s leg in an attempt to swipe at his kneecap and knock him sideways.

                Jason caught it and forced Tim back, grinning. If the kick had connected and Tim had put enough power behind it, Jason’s knee would’ve been shot and Tim knew that very well. He tutted. “Now we’re not here to fight dirty, Tim. My kneecaps haven’t done anything to you. But I honestly never thought I’d get to fight you again like this.”

                “Be grateful I don’t have my bo staff,” he said, twisting fluidly out of the path of Jason’s punch, sweeping out a leg that Jason jumped over, swinging out a leg mid-air for an aerial kick that Tim easily ducked under. He retaliated with one of his elbows, but Jason caught it, twisting his arm behind his back and pulling him to his chest, pinning his arm between them.

                “Now that’s a sight that I’ve missed,” he said, lowly. “Now what did we say about fighting dirty?”

                “Who said anything about fighting dirty? A bo staff is a legitimate martial arts weapon, there’s nothing dirty about it,” Tim growled and dropped his weight, pulling Jason forward, he jabbed his free elbow up into Jason’s stomach. Jason’s grip went slack as the air was pushed out of him forcefully and he moved backwards out of Tim’s range, taking up his stance again. They stood watching each other warily, shuffling around and breathing stiffly through the little aches they each had, waiting for the other to take the next move.

                Bane’s sudden applause drew their attention to him and they were surprised to find so many people standing around watching them. The other patrons joined in on the applause eagerly, desperately wanting to convey how much they’d enjoyed the little display that had happened that morning.

                “Well done, you two,” Bane complimented. He dropped his hands and walked over to where Jason and Tim were still in their fighting stances several feet apart from each other. Bane clapped Jason on the back and grinned at him. “I think we just might have a place for you here after all, thanks to that little show.” He looked over at Tim who had a confused expression on his face and nodded at him.

                Tim dropped his hands and watched as Bane walked Jason over to the edge of the mat where his things had been left. He was utterly confused by what was going on and supposed he wouldn’t get answers anytime soon.

                Bane looked over his shoulder at where Tim was still standing. “Tim, why don’t you join us? I think I might have a proposition for you as well.”

                “Uh, okay.” Tim grabbed his things and followed behind Jason and Bane as they walked back to the man’s office.

                Bane closed the door behind them and gestured to the two armchairs in front of his desk. They moved to the seats and sat down, facing the other man and waited for what he was going to say.

                “I’m very pleased with the skills that you showed today, Jason. I definitely think you’d be a great addition to the training staff here and be able to help people interested in learning more about boxing or sparring. If you’d still like the job we can talk payment and work availability later, but you would also be free to train here when you aren’t working.”

                Jason grinned, glancing over at Tim to find him staring at him with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. He turned his attention back to Bane and nodded at the other man. “I’d love to take the job.”

                “Excellent! And Tim, I know that you’ve just signed up for a membership with us, but after seeing you work with Jason out there, I think you would make a great member of our staff as well. The two of you work really well together and obviously know what you’re doing. We’d terminate your membership because you’d be free to use the facilities as an employee. What do you think?”

                Tim found himself to be speechless. He never thought that he’d be offered a job over everything else. He pursed his lips as his mind worked quickly over the possibilities a job would offer. He had the credit card so he didn’t exactly need the money, but then there was always the risk of his parents cutting him off when he came out to them. It would be beneficial to have some of his own money saved up to ensure that he had something to fall back on if need be. And if they didn’t cut him off he would still have the finances to fund his shopping trip that was bound to happen as well.

                He nodded once to himself and looked up at Bane who was watching him, and waiting for his answer. “I’ll do it.”

                “Great!” Bane exclaimed, brightly. I’ll draw up some employee contracts and possible schedules over the next couple of days since I know the two of you are still in high school. They should be ready on Monday if you both want to stop by then and we can finalize the details.”

                Jason and Tim nodded before standing and walking out of the office, leaving Bane to his work. As soon as they were a few feet away from Bane’s door Tim whirled on Jason.

                “How did you know I come here?” he hissed.

                Jason held up his hands to try and placate Tim’s aggressiveness. “I didn’t. Last night, I was at Nooks with my mom and he just happened to be there. I was seeing if George could hire me, but he wasn’t sure since I wouldn’t be full time. Bane overheard the conversation and asked me if I had any experience with boxing or sparring.”

                Tim glared at him, but was obviously satisfied with the answer. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I guess we’ll be working together then. But I’m warning you now, if you try anything I won’t hesitate to kick you in the groin so hard your dick gets lodged in your throat.”

                Jason grinned. “Please, I’ll be completely professional. Wouldn’t want anyone to suspect anything was going on if we just so happen to end up on the floor doing ground fighting.”

                Tim shot him a nasty look. “Whatever, you ass. Just leave me alone,” he muttered, stalking away with his duffle bag and headed to the locker room.

                Jason smiled at his retreating back. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry about making excuses to see the other man. He thanked whatever higher power was out there granting him this chance to mend things and get to know Tim again. He was glad for it and hoped that eventually he’d be able to make Tim come around, too.

                Still smiling, he adjusted the strap of his backpack and headed to the door, opening the granola bar he’d backed that morning. He’d be back Monday to sign his contract and then he would have both money and a gym to work out at, which he was glad for. Jason knew that under any other circumstances there was no way that he could possibly pay for the incredible services that Bane offered to the elite of Gotham City.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha ahaha hahaha *hides in a corner* I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this. My brain has not wanted to let me write, but I finally got it done!!! So here: take it. I have finally finished this chapter and you can have some more of this fic to read. (I'm sorry)
> 
> If you'd like to come hang out on tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :*
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Tim sent one last roundhouse to the heavy bag, before stepping back, chest heaving, and watched it swing on its chain. After Jason had left he’d made a spot for himself at one of the bags and hadn’t stopped punching and kicking until he was utterly exhausted. His shirt had easily been soaked through with sweat and his hair was damp. Tim picked up his water bottle and poured the last of it into his mouth before ripping off his gloves and pulling the hand wraps undone as he walked into the locker room to gather his things.

                He was more frustrated than anything because he told Jason that he didn’t want anything to do with him and now here he was at his fucking _gym_ of all places. And now they were going to work _together_ and teach people how to _spar_. Tim wanted to punch him. He wanted to kick him where it hurt because he couldn’t deal with how _unfair_ this whole thing was. He sighed and pulled open his locker.

                If Tim was being honest with himself he knew that he missed Jason. He missed what they’d had together and as much as it pissed him off, he still _cared_ and it fucking _hurt._ He loved him and he wanted to be with him, but he didn’t know if he could forgive Jason for what he did. He’d been doing so well by himself, too. Tim was going to get stronger, he was going to come out to his parents, and he was going to dress how he wanted to and make himself feel good and take up his place in the world.

                He stuffed his things back into his duffel angrily, slinging it over his shoulder and shutting the locker. He ignored everyone else who was around him and scowled down at the ground as he walked, trying to think of something, anything, that could make this worthwhile. Tim didn’t want to let Jason get underneath his skin again. He wanted to keep him out, but he already knew that Jason had already broken through. As soon as he’d shown up on that first day and asked him what his pronouns were.

                Tim sighed as he got on the bus that would take him back home, taking an open seat near the back. He wanted to force him away so badly. Wanted to get rid of him so that there was no possibility that he could hurt him again, but at the same time… There was a little part of him saying that he was being an idiot. Jason was there and he cared about him and he still wanted him. And Tim hadn’t realized how much he’d missed that during the couple of days between his arrival and when Jason showed up at his school.

                He slumped off the bus when it reached his stop feeling utterly defeated. This wasn’t how he wanted things to go. Tim didn’t want to be dependent on another person again, but of course Jason would be the one to incessantly worm his way into his life whether he liked it or not. He shuffled up to the front door to Drake Manor, not even bothering to pull out his keys or raise his hand. Percy pulled the front door open as he reached the top of the steps.

                “Welcome home, Master Timothy,” he said, bowing slightly.

                Tim waved his hand at him. “Morning, Percy.” He heard the door shut behind him and moved to the stairwell that would take him to his floor.

                He pushed the door open to his bedroom and dropped his duffle near the wall and kicked off his shoes next to it as the door shut behind him. Tim locked it and pulled off his shirt, throwing it in the hamper. He slipped off his shorts and let them join his shirt, leaving him in his briefs. He grabbed a fresh pair of boxers before heading into his bathroom for a shower.

                Tim turned on the water and adjusted the temperature accordingly. As he waited, he kicked off his briefs over to the door before stepping into the stall and pulling the door shut behind him. The warm water was relaxing and helped to ease the tension from his muscles. Now that he was thinking about it, he probably should’ve stretched before leaving, but shrugged off the thought, not caring much in that moment. Tim poured a small amount of shampoo into his palm and worked it into a lather, bringing it up to his dark locks. He closed his eyes at the sensations of his fingernails scraping over his scalp and sighed.

                He finished washing quickly and shut off the water feeling refreshed and more at ease than he had all morning since running into Jason and having to spar with him. He grabbed a towel and dried off, slipping into his clean boxers and leaving the towel to dry. Tim picked up the briefs he left by the door and walked back out into his bedroom, throwing those in the hamper as well. He grabbed a shirt from his dresser and slipped it over his head, pulling on a pair of jeans a moment later.

                Tim left his bedroom and headed back downstairs towards the kitchen. He caught a glimpse of Percy cleaning in the library and crept silently past, not wanting to deal with the butler when he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and putting his own lunch together. He entered the kitchen unnoticed and pulled open the door to the fridge. It was fully stocked with all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and various meats and cheeses, as well as leftovers. Tim pulled out a container of lasagna and placed it on the counter before beginning his search for bowls.

                After finding what he needed, along with the silverware drawer, Tim lifted a slice of lasagna from the storage container and placed it in the bowl. He put the leftovers back in the fridge and moved over to the microwave to heat up his lunch.

                “Master Timothy, if you were desiring lunch, I would’ve been more than willing to put something together for you,” Percy spoke up behind him.

                Tim scowled down at his food. “That’s alright, Percy. It’s no trouble.” He started the microwave before Percy could say another word. Or worse, wrench the bowl from his hands and insist on operating the microwave to cook it himself. He heard Percy make a noise of indignation behind him and let out a breath when the butler left the kitchen instead of insisting on hanging around.

                He pulled his steaming food out when the microwave went off and took a seat at the table, immediately cutting into his lunch. Tim ate slowly, enjoying the silence of the kitchen and getting the chance to be alone. He hadn’t seen his parents all morning and they were probably off doing something for work even though it was a Saturday. Not that he minded. He preferred it this way. The longer he was able to fly under their radar, the better.

                After Tim finished his lunch, he stood from the table and placed his bowl in the sink to be washed later. Undoubtedly, Percy would be ecstatic to have more cleaning to do. He slipped out of the kitchen and kept an eye out for the butler, but didn’t manage to run into him during his trek back to his bedroom.

                He flopped on his bed when he was safely back inside and stared up at the ceiling. He was honestly at a loss with what to do with himself. School was boring, he wouldn’t be starting his job until at least next week, and he didn’t much feel like going shopping since he wasn’t a girl that day. Tim supposed he could go walk around the grounds and look at everything. Sighing, he pulled himself out of bed and trudged over to where he left his sneakers, grabbing a pair of socks on the way, and sat down to pull them on.

                The grounds were as pristine and unblemished as he expected them to be. He was reassured slightly by the fact the hedges weren’t cut into animals or other various shapes and the lawn decorations were kept to a reasonable minimum and those that had been bought were simplistic rather than gaudy. The expanse of lawn was wide and surrounded by a wrought-iron gate that matched the one guarding the front lawn. Tim spotted the gardens off near one of the corners and decided to see how they were holding up.

                The flower bushes were expertly kept and filled with brightly colored roses and lilies, among other things. Several trees had been planted and there was even a small stone pavilion-the domed roof covering the benches underneath. Tim walked over to it and ran his fingers lightly over the pillars supporting the roof and briefly wondered how it would feel to sit out here and be sheltered from the rain. He expected it would provide a peaceful and secluded area and the thought brought a spark of warmth to his chest.

                Tim turned away from the pavilion and walked away from the gardens, following the fence where it blocked in the edge of their land. He noticed the lawns weren’t as well tended back here since guests didn’t tend to wander this far. It was nice and secluded, he’d admit that since the Manor was further from Gotham, it would probably be a nice place to stargaze.

                He sat down and leaned against the fence, looking across the grounds and back towards the Manor. It was a nice spot. At least he knew he’d have somewhere to go if his parents ever decided to host a party, which, inevitably, they would, much to Tim’s displeasure. He could use it as an excuse to come out to his parents and show up in a dress. He smiled at the thought, finding pleasure in the possibility of making a scene and causing discomfort. If his parents weren’t going to accept who he was, he’d make it really hard for them to deny it or brush it aside.

                Tim drew his knees up to his chest and looked around the area outside of the fence. He could see Wayne Manor off in the distance and wondered if Dick Grayson had become part of that family in this universe. He supposed it didn’t really matter if he did or not. He wouldn’t know Tim and there would be no reason for Tim to know him. He just hoped that he’d never be dragged over there for a party. Although that would be an even better place to make a scene. The thought had him smirking.

                He leaned his head up against the bars of the fence and allowed his mind to wander. Much to his distaste, it easily grasped onto the subject of Jason. Tim wrinkled his brow and scowled up at the clouds as though it was their fault that this had happened. He would be seeing Jason more. He felt slightly affronted at how much this felt like a scene out of _Harry Potter_ between Harry and Draco Malfoy.

                “Yeah, except Harry wasn’t hungering after Draco’s affections,” Tim said with a huff. He paused for a minute and thought it over. “Oh, who am I kidding of course they both were.”

                He settled into a content silence for a few moments before he realized, with dawning horror, what he’d just admitted to himself. “I am _not_ after Jason’s affections,” he said angrily and looked around as though someone was going to jump out and disagree with him.

                Tim dropped his head back against the bars and caused them to ring slightly. “Shit, I miss Jason’s affections.” He was feeling so conflicted because he still cared about him and had feelings for him, but…yeah. The same old struggle that wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. Tim sighed and pushed himself from the ground, brushing bits of stray grass from his pants and turning back towards the Manor, walking towards it silently and deeply in thought.

                He effectively avoided Percy and his parents, if they happened to be around (which they weren’t) for most of the day. Tim shut himself up in his room and was constantly between doing different things, unable to settle on just one. He pulled out his computer, but in the absence of difficult schoolwork or something to hack into, he didn’t find much interest there. He briefly considered trying any of the online games available and testing out his hacking skills to see if he could create an account that would give him access to all of the features without having to pay for them.

                Tim honestly thought that it was something he could easily do, but pushed that thought aside for later. It could be something to tackle when he was really bored. He considered reading, but didn’t have anything that he hadn’t read and wasn’t in the mood to re-read anything on his bookshelf. If that desire kept up, he’d have to make a run to a bookstore at some point. Tim finally settled down on his bed and just gave in to watching some show on Netflix.

                His evening was going really well. That is, until Percy knocked on his door.

                “Master Timothy? Your parents are in the dining room and are requesting you downstairs for dinner.”

                “Thank you, Percy,” he answered, rolling his eyes. “I’ll be down momentarily.”

                Tim groaned as he pushed the laptop off of himself and forced his stiff muscles out of bed. He stuffed his hands into his pants’ pockets and shuffled out of the room and down the stairs to the dining room. His parents were waiting for him there, still dressed fashionably, not that Tim saw them dressed otherwise often, if at all.

                He seated himself in the unoccupied chair that the last plate of food had been positioned in front of. He looked expectantly towards his parents who didn’t even spare him a glance as they began to eat. Tim picked up his own utensils and tucked into his meal, hoping this dinner would be a rather simple one and they wouldn’t insist on talking to him.

                “Timothy,” his mother began, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin even though there wasn’t a crumb to be found.

                He groaned internally, but addressed her regardless. “Mother.”

                “Well, is there anything you’d like to tell us? You’ve been acting a little differently these past few days and we weren’t sure if something was wrong,” she gave his father a significant look who nodded his head along as well, but didn’t say anything.

                Tim chewed thoughtfully for a moment, surprised they’d actually noticed the change or if it was Percy who shared his concerns, and wondered how fast they would have him admitted to a psych ward if he told them the truth. “No. There’s nothing.”

                “Are you sure? Because we, your father and I,” she explained as though he wouldn’t know who she was referencing with the term ‘we,’ “noticed that you used your credit card recently and opened up a membership at a gym.”

                The effort it took for Tim to not roll his eyes was monumental. “I’m sure. And you won’t have to worry about the payments for that, because my contract will be cancelled shortly.”

                His mother visibly relaxed. “Oh, good.”

                He watched her out of the corner of his eye. “Because they’ve offered me a job there.”

                She tensed immediately, fork paused comically half-way between her mouth and her plate. “Job? You got a job?”

                Tim continued eating calmly, ignoring the startled looks and glances that were shared around him. Percy was even getting involved. “Yes, I got a job. I start next week.”

                “Timothy,” his father began, breaking in for the first time, “are you sure this is something that you want to do?”

                “Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked, taking another bite of chicken. “After all, if I’m going to be a part of the business world after I graduate from college, I should start getting as much experience in the working world as possible while I still have time.”

                His parents continued to gawk at him as he casually finished eating his dinner. If this was what their reactions were going to be to him getting a part-time job, then his coming out was going to be very interesting indeed. And probably very satisfying. Tim pushed his chair away from the table and stood.

                “If you’ll excuse me,” he said walking towards the door. “Thank you for the meal, Percy.” He nodded towards the butler on his way out and received an equally stunned expression.

                Tim flopped back onto his bed and pulled his computer back towards himself, opening it to the show he’d been watching once again. Tim paused before restarting the episode he was on and opened a new tab instead. He pulled up the website for Forever 21 and started scrolling through their products. He started with just some floral and flowy shirts to see if there was anything that he’d like and found several things that he thought would be nice to start with.

                Becoming a little braver, he started looking through the dresses and skirts that were in season. Tim bit his lip, feeling that familiar yearning well up inside him at the sight of the clothes. He missed them. He knew he did and had realized that several days ago. The dresses, the skirts, the button downs, the sweaters, all of the clothes that he wore simply because he wanted to.

                Hurriedly, Tim opened up another page and went to his school’s website and found where new uniforms could be ordered. His eyes roved over the different pieces the girls would wear. Most of it was the same-the white oxford, the blazer, and the tie. He would just need the skirt and the knee socks. Running a hand anxiously through his hair, Tim pulled up the school dress code, scanning the page quickly.

                Satisfied that he couldn’t get into serious trouble for pre-conceived notions, admittedly a lot of people wouldn’t expect it and would probably object, Tim quickly added the skirt and socks to his shopping cart. He threw in a couple of extra pairs just in case. He filled out the information on where he wanted it delivered and put in his payment information. Tim’s hands started shaking with excitement as he submitted the order and he couldn’t stop the grin that nearly split his face in half. He was doing this, he was really doing it. The only thing he had left to do would be to go to the mall and get some casual clothes to wear. And new workout clothes. He’d need them for his job at least. And it would offer some sweet revenge since Jason decided to force his way into his life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. For a few days I just wasn't motivated to write, wasn't a block or anything, I just wasn't writing. And then I got distracted with Harry Potter (I'm re-reading the books) and then I got distracted by Harry Potter fanfiction. So in all reality, this could've been up yesterday, but it just...wasn't. 
> 
> But it's here now! And now I get to give you more saddening news. I start classes on the 24th which means updates are going to slow down. I've got 4 wips right now and I'm aiming to update one of them a week which means I'll update each fic once a month. If I do more than that, great! But this is what I'm aiming for because I don't want to stress myself out when I've got 17 credit hours and rowing. 
> 
> Now that that's over, I'm really excited for this chapter! Tim gets to go shopping! yay!!!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Tim felt slightly sick as they sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast on Sunday morning. Percy had made waffles, eggs, and bacon and Tim had never seen a more unappetizing meal in their entire life. They picked up their fork and cut off a piece of waffle, chewing and swallowing without even registering the flavor. It felt as though the food had stuck on the way down and Tim was relieved that they hadn’t choked. Having everyone panic over that would just make their nerves worse.

                They’d felt so brave the night before when the thought of going shopping hadn’t felt like such a big deal. Now, however, the task seemed absolutely momentous and Tim didn’t know if they were ready for this. Taking a shaky breath, they continued to eat, glad that there was no one around to sense their nerves, not like their parents would anyway, and Percy would refrain from making a comment about it.

                After finishing half of what was on their plate, Tim pushed the remnants of their breakfast away, feeling, now more than ever, that if they continued to eat, they really would be sick. They stood and walked out of the kitchen in a daze, mounting the steps once more to return to the safety and solitude of their bedroom. Tim shut the door behind them and leaned against it heavily. They took several deep breaths, trying to steady themself.

                They walked over to their dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and one of the few graphic tees that they owned. Their mother didn’t exactly approve of them dressing any less than their best, but Tim didn’t really care since she wouldn’t be there and didn’t want to go to the mall wearing a button-down. Or worse, a polo. They carried their clothes into the bathroom and changed quickly, taking a moment to brush their teeth, before grabbing a pair of shoes from the closet.

                Tim grabbed their phone, wallet, and keys on the way out the door and managed to slide out the Manor’s doors without running into Percy or their parents who were, predictably, nowhere to be found. The walk to the bus stop was a peaceful one. Not many people were out this early because it was a Sunday but, Gotham being Gotham, many of the stores opened earlier than they would in other places meaning they had plenty of time to shop.

                Their stomach continued to tighten with both nerves and butterflies as the bus slowly trundled down the Gotham streets. They knew they could do this. And they wanted to do this. Or at least, Tim really wanted to do this the night before when they weren’t on a bus and committing themself to a day of shopping.

                Finally, the bus stopped with a hiss outside of the mall’s front entrance. Standing and wiping their hands on their jeans, they stepped down onto the sidewalk and was hit with another wave of nerves. Tim swallowed thickly and squared their shoulders. They walked up to the entrance and pushed through the double doors with an air of confidence and ease that they didn’t have at the moment. They knew that they didn’t have to go through with this if they weren’t ready, but they knew they would regret leaving without at least doing a little shopping and simply looking around couldn’t hurt.

                Tim looked in shop windows as he made his way through the building. The place was mostly empty for the early hour on a weekend and they were grateful for it honestly. A bit of the nerves sitting like a rock in their stomach began to uncoil. Most of the shops hardly held their attention that day. Many of them were boutiques or specialty stores that Tim might try for another time, but they just wanted something easy. A popular store they could go into without being questioned seemed best.

                After walking the length of the first floor of the mall, they came face-to-face with the entrance to Forever 21. Taking a steadying breath and reminding themself that they weren’t doing anything wrong by going into the store and shopping, Tim walked inside. They looked over the various racks and shelves and was pleased that the place was still in a fairly tidy condition. It would certainly make looking for clothes that much easier.

                Tim headed towards the back of the first floor, nodding at a few of the employees as they went. The men’s section was on the second floor and the kids on the third. They started at the sale section since that was furthest back and they could look there until they managed to build the confidence to go to the more recent clothes additions. Most of what was in the back were spring and summer dresses. There were some nice plain tees as well, but none of the flowy, dress-like shirts they were looking at the night before.

                They picked out a few skirts in soft colors like pink, blue, yellow, and they grabbed a few black ones to have a neutral option to go to. Tim added a few of the more fitted tees to their arms and headed towards the dressing rooms which were, thankfully, close to where they were shopping. They shut themself in one of the many available rooms and hung their clothes up. With slightly shaking fingers, they toed off their shoes and pulled down their jeans.

                With their back to the mirror, Tim pulled on one of the black skirts that they’d brought with them. The feeling of the fabric sliding over their skin was not an unpleasant one. They closed their eyes when it had come to rest comfortably on their hips and turned to face the mirror. Taking a deep breath and after counting to three they opened their eyes. Tim stared at their reflection, eyes moving over every available surface that was reflected back at them.

                They twisted and turned trying to get a look at themself from every angle possible. A grin lit of their face and they felt a fierce sense of joy and happiness well up inside of them. Tim giggled and twirled a few times in front of the mirror, causing the skirt to flutter up a little too high to reveal the bottoms of their boxer-briefs. They shimmied out of the skirt quickly and set it aside with the other black ones, pulling down the pink one instead.

                Tim repeated the same actions with the rest of the things they brought to the changing room. All of the skirts received immediate approval from themself and they left the changing room with their arms full of clothes and an air of happiness and contentment surrounding them. Tim make their way to the athletic clothes and immediately pulled several pairs of leggings, yoga pants, and form-fitting shirts from the racks, not even bothering to try them on and knowing they would fit.

                Really wishing they had a cart to put everything in, they browsed through the dressy shirts, picking up ones that were white and black before being satisfied. Smiling to themself, they walked over to the counter where a too-cheerful teen was waiting.

                “Good morning! Did you find everything you were looking for?” she asked as Tim set the pile of clothes down on the counter.

                They rubbed the back of their neck, embarrassed. “Found everything a little too easily, if I’m being honest.”

                She waved away the comment. “Ain’t no shame in that, honey.” She started scanning the clothes, humming quietly underneath her breath. She gasped when she got to Tim’s blue skirt, lifting it with a flourish as her eyes went wide. “This is so cute!” She looked over at Tim. “And it goes great with your eyes!”

                Tim felt their face heat up as a pleased smile broke out. “Th-thank you.”

                “You’ll certainly be turning heads while wearing that.” The cashier went back to scanning the items and nodded in what looked like approval every now and then when she bagged certain shirts or skirts. “Now,” she said, hitting one of the keys on the register, “do you have a rewards card with us?”

                Tim shook their head. “I don’t, but I’ll certainly open one.”

                “Fantastic!” She pulled out a new card and started inputting information to create an account. “I just need your name address and phone number.

                Tim rattled off the information as she nodded along. Giving the card a quick scan she slid it into a bag with their clothes.

                “Your total is $186.39.”

                Tim swiped their credit card through the reader and input the necessary pin. As soon as the transaction was approved, the cashier pulled the receipt from the reader and stuffed that in the shopping bag as well, handing the whole thing to Tim.

                “Have a nice day!” she said, cheerily as they walked towards the exit.

                Tim waved happily, leaving in a much better mood than what they’d arrived with. There were a few more people milling around the building in groups than when he’d first come in. Their conversations provided a gentle buzzing murmur that settled into the background nicely. Tim found one of the escalators leading to the upper floor and stepped onto it, watching the people and stores fall away to new ones.

                The second floor wasn’t any more crowded than the first and had another array of clothes shops that they weren’t interested in going in that day. They would save those for another day of shopping when they wanted to buy something nicer. For now, Tim was perfectly content with the purchases they’d already made that day.

                Finding nothing worth looking into on the second floor, Tim got onto another escalator and rode up to the third, and final, floor of the shopping mall. This was the area that hat the restaurants and the food court. Tim bypassed those in favor of covering the remainder of the shops. Most of them were boutiques or higher floors of shops that they’d already passed on the lower levels. They were surprised to find a Barnes and Noble tucked away in the farthest corner of the floor.

                Shrugging to themself, they walked through the doors and took in the shelves of books that lay before them. The store was quiet. It was an interesting sort of silence. Not heavy or oppressive, but peaceful and reverent of what was being sold within the four walls. There was no soft hum of music or buzz of conversation. The silence was only occasionally broken by the sounds of books being stacked or pages being turned. And even then, the noise seemed hushed and muted.

                Tim picked their way gently across the floor, around the various stacks and through the shelves. Their eyes scanned the titles half-heartedly, not taking in much of what they were seeing. They had considered making a trip to the bookstore soon, but now that they were here…Tim wasn’t entirely sure what they wanted to read. They had no recommendations and didn’t even know what would be a good choice.

                A gold type caught their eye and they paused in their perusal of the shelves. They pulled the book from the shelf and looked over the cover that held the picture of a blue dragon. Tim turned the book over and read the spine, a fond smile spreading over his face.

                “ _Eragon,_ huh? Sounds like something Jason would read,” they said to themself. Their smile faltered as they realized what they’d just said.

                Suddenly finding the bookstore much less welcoming and pleasant, Tim replaced the book on the shelf and turned away, feeling tendrils of discomfort grab hold of the good mood they’d been in. They turned towards the exit and left the shelves of literature behind, sliding through the doors and momentarily breaking the silence that was kept in the store. They walked back past all of the stores and made their way to the food court.

                Tim scanned the places that were available to eat and decided to just grab some ice cream to sit down with. They paid for their bowl of cookie dough ice cream and found an unoccupied table, putting the bag of clothes in one of the available seats. They pulled out their phone while they ate and checked their email, not expecting anything for it being a Sunday. Finding an empty inbox, Tim turned instead to social media and news feeds, checking to see if anything interesting was happening in Gotham. They didn’t expect anything too serious since there weren’t superheroes or supervillains in this universe.

                Resigned to people watching, they leaned back in their chair and slowly ate the softening ice cream. It was pretty decent for being bought in a mall, but definitely not the best quality they’d had, in this life or the other. Tim thought they recognized a few of the teens walking around, but didn’t bother themself with them too much. The groups weren’t his friends or anything.

                After finishing their ice cream, Tim stood from his table and picked up their bag of clothes. They threw the empty paper cup in the garbage can and headed back to the mall escalators, stepping onto the one that would take them back down to the floor below where he got on another that took them to the bottom floor. They walked past the first shops and the growing crowds and landed back on the sidewalk. Tim walked down to a crosswalk just as the sign changed and moved with the flow of people to the opposite side of the street and towards the bus stop that would take them back home.

                They trudged slowly up the drive to the front of the Manor where Percy inevitably opened the door for them.

                “Master Timothy,” he said with a bow.

                Tim rolled their eyes without Percy seeing them and walked past without a word. They heard distant voices as they passed the library where the door was opened a crack. They made out the voices of their parents. Checking over their shoulder to make sure Percy wasn’t nearby, Tim stayed silently next to the door, out of sight of anyone who might be looking towards the hallway inside.

                “I’m just concerned,” their mother spoke up.

                “Dear, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Tim probably just needed a new uniform and took it upon himself to order one,” Tim’s father said, reassuringly.

                Their mother sighed loudly. “I do wish we could see the invoice for what he ordered from Anders. The uniform he was wearing the other day looked perfectly fine!”

                Tim’s blood ran cold. So they were paying some attention to them after all. It was probably only because of the scene they’d made at dinner the night before. They swallowed thickly. If they did manage to figure it all out, it would make it a lot easier for Tim to try and explain it to them. At this rate, when their new uniform pieces got to the Manor and they were having a day where they wanted to wear them, it’d be just as easy to walk into whatever room they were in while wearing it.

                “And then there’s that purchase he made today,” their mother continued. “$180 at Forever 21! I mean, do they even sell men’s clothes there?” Her voice was reaching a new level of hysterical. It was making Tim intensely uncomfortable.

                “Dear, dear! Please calm down. I’m sure it’s nothing,” their father reassured. “He wouldn’t have gone there if they didn’t sell men’s clothes. We’ve seen no evidence of him making cross-dressing a habit.”

                Tim swallowed and began to back away from the door. If this was how their parents were already acting, what were they going to do when they actually told them about their genderfluidity or decided to wear a skirt? They shook their head, continuing to stare at the door leading to where their parents were having their private conversation before turning and bolting quietly up the stairs to their room.

                They pushed inside and locked the door behind them. Tim walked over to their bed and set the bag of clothes they’d been so happy to purchase on top of it. They laid down next to it and stared at the ceiling, taking several deep breaths.

                “It’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it. I can start off gently if I need to. Just casually bring up the topic of genderfluidity and transgender people in conversation. Get a feel for what their opinions are on the subject matter. I don’t have anything to really worry about until my new uniforms get here. Surely they won’t open my package?”

                Even as Tim talked to themself, they felt the sense of doubt and worry nagging at the back of their brain. They would be okay. This wasn’t going to be a repeat of what happened in the other universe. And if their parents’ reactions were equally as bad, Tim was going to be prepared with his job and savings and would be able to set themself up in an apartment and take care of themself. They could transfer to a public school and then they wouldn’t have to worry about all of the judgment or high costs of going to Anders.

                As much as they wanted the thought of being prepared to live on their own to comfort them, somehow it wasn’t there. Tim just felt as equally worried and cold as they had before. They didn’t want to admit it, but in that moment when all of the worry and fear was culminating in a tight, heavy ball in their stomach, they really wished they had someone there with them. And even though it pained them to admit it, they desperately wanted that person to be Jason because he would understand and would be able to help.

                Instead, Tim tried to push all negative thoughts aside. They refrained from curling up into a ball and staying on the bed to try and will away the bad feelings and everything that was happening around them. They got up, cleared their throat and pulled up one of the playlists that they’d saved on their computer. Letting the music surround them and fill every open space in the room with its melody, Tim started to pull out the clothes from the bright yellow bag.

                They took each garment in their hands, running their fingers over the fabric, and cut off the tags. They didn’t let themself hide the clothes out of fear or shame of what would happen if someone found them. Tim put them away in the closet and in their dresser as if they were any other clothes that they would be seen wearing. And if they clutched the fabric of the blue skirt a little more tightly in their hands as they willed themself to remember the kind and helpful words the cashier had told them when they were checking out…that was for them to hold on to.

                Tim pulled off their jeans once they were finished and left them slung over the back of their desk chair. They crawled underneath the covers of their bed and snuggled in warmly. They let the warmth of the music emitting from their laptop to wash over them as they tried to clear everything from their mind. They weren’t alone this time, even if they would be turned away by their parents. Tim had a safe place to go to if they needed it and no one could take that away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, kudos, and comments are always appreciated and they make me smile!
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's baaaaaaack??????
> 
> Have a chapter! I think Jay's pretty cute and sweet in this one if I'm being honest. :)
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason groaned as his alarm woke him from the peaceful sleep that he’d only managed for a few hours. He really needed to slow down his reading or he was going to be without a book again. And it wouldn’t do to fall asleep in class no matter how much of the information he already knew. He didn’t want to subject his mom to a call from the school that he’d been falling asleep and ignoring his classes. Things were going well enough and he didn’t want to screw that up when his life was already pretty easy. Jason also wanted to ensure that he could maintain the job that he just got and that it wouldn’t be too much for him to handle along with his schoolwork.

                He pushed himself out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt. He was too tired to try and look decent and even the thought of seeing Tim that afternoon wasn’t enough to pull any effort from him. Jason grabbed his backpack and headed out to the kitchen. His mom was still sleeping after the busy weekend she’d had and wasn’t up for their usual breakfast time. He walked over the hardwood floors quietly and pulled two slices of toast from the loaf and put them in the toaster before grabbing the tub of butter from the fridge.

                Jason ate his breakfast quickly and tossed an apple and a granola bar in his bag for after school. He’d need something if he was going to have to spend some time at the gym in order to fill out his employee contract and get all of that squared away. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and pulled the front door open, shutting it silently behind him. Jason headed down the stairs once again and made his way to the bus stop, looking forward to the day ahead.

                The scene that he was met with when he walked into school was definitely not one that he was expecting, although in some part of his brain he thought he should’ve been prepared for it. A roar of sound assaulted his ears. Everyone was talking and yelled and papers were strewn across the hallway. Taking a closer look around left Jason with one extreme eye-roll later and a sense of disappointment. Apparently Homecoming was starting which meant several weeks of festivities and pep rallies and excruciatingly annoying circumstances that he didn’t care for.

                Jason forced his way through the masses of people towards his locker. He wasn’t looking forward to the weeks ahead and hoped that he would be able to ignore all of this for the most part. He sighed and pulled his books for his morning classes from his locker. At least he would have his job to prove as an ample distraction and he wouldn’t be forced to go to the football game or, Jason shuddered, the dance. Shaking his head, he shut his locker and headed down the hallway to his first class.

                He sat down heavily across from Kory and Roy at their lunch table. His morning classes had honestly been brutal which felt a little strange considering the circumstances. You’d think that after being involved in a crime ring high school would prove easy enough to manage. Jason’s lack of sleep combined with how damn happy everyone was about homecoming was honestly just draining him of all of his energy. He ran a hand through his hair and popped a grape in his mouth.

                “Oh Jason! Can you believe it’s time for Homecoming? I am so very excited that we will be able to go to the dance this year,” Kori began enthusiastically.

                Jason and Roy shared a look that explained exactly how much both of them were looking forward to being able to go to the dance that year.

                “I don’t think that I’m going to be going to the dance Kori,” Jason said, sighing.

                Kori’s face fell. “But why not?”

                He shrugged and poked at his baked potato with his fork. “It’s not really my thing and I’m more content with staying home than going to some awkward high school dance. Besides, I don’t exactly have anyone to go with.”

                “I am sure that anyone would be happy to go with you! And aren’t you interested in finding out who will become King and Queen?”

                Jason waved off her question. “It’ll just be another football player and cheerleader. It doesn’t affect me either way so there’s really no point.”

                Kori pouted and Jason could just see the wheels in the back of her head turning at his words. He found that he really didn’t like that look. Didn’t like that look one bit. Thankfully she didn’t add anything else to the conversation and Jason felt that he could temporarily eat in peace. Kori felt differently.

                “Roy, you’re going to go to the dance with me right?” Kori asked innocently.

                Roy spluttered, spilling water all over his lap from the bottle he’d been drinking from. He groaned and grabbed a wad of napkins, trying to mop up the liquid as best as he could. “Kori…what makes you think that I want to go to the dance at all?”

                She turned her nose up at his statement. “I just thought it would be nice.” Kori stood up with her tray and left the two of them watching as she walked away.

                Roy turned to Jason in disbelief. “Why is some stupid dance so important to her?”

                Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. She probably saw some romantic thing in a movie and thinks that will be like real life.” He looked sideways at his best friend. “Or…she really wants you to want to take her to some dance.”

                Roy flushed. “If she wants to do something we can just go to some stupid movie or whatever.”

                “She wants you to be interested enough that you’ll realize this is something she wants to do. I guess it’s important to her and in her own way she hopes that the two of you will be crowned prom Queen and King.”

                He sighed. “How do you know so much about girls, Jay?”

                “Because I’ve actually dated them.”

                A look of disbelief crossed Roy’s face, but before he could respond the bell for the start of afternoon classes rang and the two of them wordlessly got up from the table and went their separate ways for the rest of the day.

                Jason headed towards the bus stop once he was finally free for the day. The gym was further past Tim’s school and it would take a ridiculously long time to walk there and as much as he wanted to go there with Tim, it would be better for the two of them to meet in Bane’s office where Tim couldn’t run away from him. He picked up a ride within a few minutes and was well on his way. The bus passed by Tim’s school, but classes weren’t out there yet leaving him to look at a deserted courtyard.

                He stepped down from the bus a few moments later and walked the last half-block to the front of the gym. Jason pushed through the doors and was met with a different receptionist this time. He didn’t look much older than Jason himself and had a pleasant smile.

                “Can I help you with something?” he asked.

                “Yes, my name’s Jason Todd and-“ Jason cut himself off when the receptionist started nodding.

                “I’ll go ahead and buzz you in. Bane should be in his office waiting for you.”

                Jason heard the lock on the door click and walked through with one last nod towards the receptionist. He looked over the patrons as he headed in the direction he remembered Bane’s office being. It wasn’t as busy as it had been when he’d left Saturday, but there was a decent afternoon crowd.

                The door to Bane’s office was propped open and he saw the man working diligently at his desk inside. Jason knocked tentatively on the open door in order to get the man’s attention. He looked up at the sound and smiled when he caught sight of Jason.

                “Jason! Come on in and have a seat. I was just finishing up your paperwork.”

                Jason nodded and took the chair on the right, setting his backpack at his feet. “I’m excited to start.”

                “We’ll just need to wait for Tim to get here and I can explain everything to both of you.” Silence fell between them as Bane looked over more paperwork and shuffled things around, double-checking the contracts and requirements. Jason settled back in his chair and let his eyes roam over the office. It was fairly neat and organized and didn’t feel too cramped despite the row of filing cabinets that took up one of the walls.

                A second knock sounded at the door that had Jason turning in his seat. Tim was standing in the doorway dressed in their school uniform. They didn’t look as uncomfortable as the last time Jason had seen them, making him think that they weren’t a girl today.

                “Come in, Tim! Take a seat,” Bane greeted them enthusiastically. They sank down in the seat next to Jason, not even sparing him a glance. He knew that he had no right to feel hurt by the indifference that Tim was showing, but he missed their easy glances and loving looks that the both of them had once shared.

                “Now that both of you are here we can begin and finally register you as the newest employees of Bane’s gym. I have contracts here for you. These offer you legal protections as minors and restrictions in what you’re allowed to work each day and each week. Jason, since you’re sixteen you have a little more wiggle room in what you can work each week than Tim who’s fifteen. Jason can work a maximum of twenty-eight hours a week. Tim you’re allowed a maximum of eighteen hours a week.

                “It shouldn’t be too difficult to schedule your training sessions and group lessons so that they fit your schedule. I was thinking we could do group lessons every other day or so as well as on Saturdays. Personal training sessions can be interspersed within those and we’d just have to make sure that you don’t run over your allotted number of hours each week. For each hour-long group session you teach, you’ll make $30 an hour. Payment for personal sessions will be a little different because those are scheduled for either an hour, forty-five minutes, or thirty minutes.

                “The gym will provide you with three initial work shirts and the type of pants or shorts you wear are your choice. You are required to wear some form of Bane’s shirt during each shift. If you’d like to purchase more than the initial three, you have a twenty-five percent employee discount. Both of you already have wraps and gloves so that’s something that we won’t need to discuss. The pads are already supplied by the gym so there’s no need to purchase your own unless you would like to have your own supplies that no one else will be using. Any questions about the contract?”

                Tim and Jason both shook their heads.

                “Excellent. Here are your respective contracts. Feel free to read over and sign those where prompted.” Bane continued to talk as they started looking over the papers and began signing the various lines. “After that gets taken care of we can talk about lessons and scheduling. I want to start both of you this week with only a few group lessons to see how much interest there is which means there should be no danger of either of you going over the limit to hours. After we see how much interest there is, we can start scheduling private lessons.

                “I’ll create an online scheduling page that each of you will have access to in order to check your schedules. Patrons schedule the lessons directly through me and I’ll get those posted on your schedules when they’re approved. I want both of you at the group lessons in order to teach and demonstrate and the patrons will be able to pick either of you for their lessons.”

                Bane took the contracts back as they were finished and placed them in his desk drawer. He stood from behind his desk. “If you’ll follow me, I can take you to where our merchandise is and the two of you can pick out some shirts.”

                Jason slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed Bane and Tim, who he noticed was carrying their small duffle, out the door. They walked further back past the office to a storage room that had to be unlocked. Shirts, pants, bags, and a number of other products were stacked neatly on the metal shelves. Jason immediately gravitated to the muscle shirts and tank tops. He chose one of the black tanks and moved down the shelves. He also chose a white tee and a dark blue dry fit for himself. He saw that Tim had picked up two of the fitted tank tops and a v-neck shirt.

                “Great!” Bane said energetically. “Now the last thing we need to do is take care of your employee passes. Tim, you already have an ID. I’ll just need to change the settings in your account and you’ll be able to use it to access the gym as well as the back room where the equipment you’ll need is stored. Since I have everything that I need from you, feel free to go work out or head home if that’s what you want. Jason, if you’ll come back to my office with me when can get you set up with an ID.”

                Tim nodded. “Thanks, Bane. I’m going to hang out a bit and train,” they said before breaking off and heading towards the changing room.

                Jason took up his previous seat when they made it back to the office. Bane typed several things into his computer before adjusting the small webcam perched on the top of his monitor.

                “Just look straight into the lens and give your best award-winning smile.”

                Jason felt a bit silly, but tried to smile as naturally as possible.

                “Excellent,” Bane said and Jason relaxed. He watched as he pulled out a card from one of his other desk drawers and swiped it through the reader on his desk. “You’re all set,” he said, handing it to Jason.

                “Thanks!” Jason stood from his seat and headed out the door, giving him one last wave. As he walked through the main area towards the exit, he saw Tim warming up on a bag against the wall. He stopped to watch and recognized the sharp focus and pointed anger and aggression that Tim would sometimes channel during fights or training. It was strange how things could be both so similar and different to what he remembered. Shaking himself of his thoughts he pushed through the door and left the gym behind.

                He made it just in time to catch the bus back down towards his apartment. Jason stood amongst the workers who were starting to get off their shifts and looked out the window, watching the buildings of Gotham crawl by. He thought back to the conversation he had with Roy and Kori earlier that day and smiled to himself. He may be feeling as though so many things were the same in this life, but he thought it was better. He didn’t have to resort to crime to stay alive and he had another chance with Tim.

                Jason got off the bus at his stop in an excellent mood. He hummed broken tunes to himself as he walked up the stairs in his building. He unlocked his front door and pushed inside to the ever reassuring sight of his mom sitting on the couch with a book in her lap. She looked up at his entrance and smiled.

                “Have a good day?” she asked with a chuckle.

                Jason stopped and thought about it. “Yeah…I did.”

                She patted the sofa and he went to go sit down next to her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

                “How was your day off?”

                She leaned her head back against the cushions and sighed happily. “Wonderful! Although I did miss seeing you at breakfast. It just wasn’t the same. Hey, how do you feel about a movie tonight? We can even eat dinner on the couch.”

                “And we haven’t before?” Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow.

                “Don’t sass me, I’m your mother!” she argued, putting him in a half-hearted headlock.

                Jason laughed, not even trying to throw her off.

                His mom let him go and patted his arm before standing from the couch. “I’m feeling like _Lord of the Rings_ tonight. You can go dig that out and get some of your homework done while I get started on dinner.”

                “Okay.” Jason grabbed his backpack and carried it into his room as he listened to the sounds of his mom in the kitchen opening cabinets and prepping pans. He pulled out the shirts that he’d stuffed in there earlier and re-folded them, storing them in his dresser with the rest of his things. He walked back into the living room and knelt down next to the shelf that housed their movies. He skimmed along the titles until he found what his mom wanted to watch, setting it on the coffee table. Jason moved back into his bedroom and grabbed his glasses from his backpack, slipping them on his face before settling down with his book, having finished all of his homework during school.

                Later that night when he was sitting on the couch next to his mom with two plates of chicken parmesan while watching _Lord of the Rings,_ he felt reassured that things were going to go well in this life. Nothing seemed impossible because he was happy and that’s all he needed. People who cared about him and people who he cared about. And Jason thought that if one of the people he cared about didn’t care for him at the moment, then that would be okay. Because at least someone cared about them even if they didn’t want them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

                Tim wiped away the sweat dripping down his face after sending one last powerful roundhouse to the bag. He’d stayed longer than he’d originally planned, but the few interactions that he’d had with Jason had given him some pent up frustrations to work out. He let his arms hang at his sides, feeling the tiredness in his muscles and thinking that he might be sore the next day when he woke up. While he worked to calm his breathing, Tim began to undo the wraps that were around his hands.

                He thought that he was getting better with the whole being around Jason thing. He’d just need to make sure that he stayed professional during all of their lessons. He hoped that Bane would give the two of them some time to figure out how they were going to conduct their lessons before having to do it in front of a group of people. That would be just what the two of them needed-going off on each other in front of paying customers. It was a surefire way to gain interest.

                Tim threw his handwraps inside his duffel and slung it over his shoulder. He pulled his water bottle out as he headed for the entrance, not bothering to change since he’d take a shower once he got back to the house. He waved at the receptionist as he pushed through the front door and headed towards the bus stop. Thankfully he didn’t have long to wait and was pleased that the bus wasn’t too crowded. Most of the after-work crowd had already passed and made their way back home.

                He stepped off the bus easily and closed the last of the distance between him and the front gates to Drake Manor quickly. He buzzed himself in and headed towards the front door, noticing that his parents’ cars were still missing from the driveway, not that he was complaining. It would be nice to be left alone for the evening, or most of the evening.

                He got up the steps quickly and was rewarded with a view of Percy as he pulled the front door open. If he wasn’t so used to it, Tim would think that his ability to get to the front door so quickly was unnerving, but it wasn’t that unusual. Besides, Percy got the notification that someone was home when they buzzed through the front gate. Nothing weird or unusual about it.

                “Good Afternoon, Master Timothy,” he greeted, bowing slightly.

                Tim nodded at him. “Percy.” He was about to slip out of the foyer when Percy’s voice stopped him.

                “Master Timothy.”

                Tim paused and turned to face the butler. “Percy?” he questioned.

                “A package addressed to you was delivered to the house today. I had it brought up to your room this afternoon.”

                He smiled softly. “Thanks, Percy.” He turned and dashed out of the foyer and up the stairs towards his room. He couldn’t believe that his clothes were here so soon. He would’ve thought that it would’ve taken longer for them to get shipped. He supposed that was one of the perks of being part of the elite of Gotham and going to a private school.

                Tim shut his door behind him with a little bit more force than necessary. A grin nearly split his face in half when he caught sight of the brown box settled on his desk chair. He threw his backpack and his duffle on the bed and pulled his scissors from their place on his desk and cut through the tape quickly. He flung the scissors aside and pulled open the flaps, a sense of giddiness taking over his demeanor.

                He pulled out the plastic wrapped skirts and socks and moved over to his bed. Ripping open the plastic, he laid the skirts out evenly to inspect them. They all looked to be in pretty nice condition. Checking that the door was still closed, Tim kicked off his shoes and pulled off the shorts that he’d worn to the gym. He unzipped the side of the skirt gently and stepped into it, pulling the waist above his hips. He held the two edges of fabric together and zipped the skirt up, loving how perfectly it fit.

                Giggling, he bounded over to the door where his full-length mirror hung to see how it looked. It was a little ridiculous wearing his mismatched shirt, but Tim twirled this way and that to look at himself from all angles. He felt something click into place at finally being able to express himself in all aspects of his life. He knew that the first day he wore a skirt to school he’d probably get a lot of shit for it, but he was beyond caring at that point. He was just happy to have the option of being comfortable at school.

                Sighing happily, Tim undid the zipper and tucked his new skirts and socks into his dresser. He threw his shorts that had been discarded on the floor into the hamper and headed into his bathroom for a shower. He turned on the water to warm up while he stripped out of his shirt and boxer-briefs, adding those to his dirty laundry as well. He stepped under the spray thinking that things couldn’t get any better than they were in that moment. He was truly content and ready to face the world and any challenges that it chose to throw at him.

                After finishing his shower and putting some clean clothes on, he headed back downstairs, hair still dripping from his shower. The house was still quiet and he assumed that his parents still weren’t back from work. Tim walked into the kitchen and found Percy doing some cleaning. He stopped when he heard him come through the door.

                “Master Timothy, is there anything I can do for you?”

                “Yeah, Percy, I’m pretty hungry, do we have anything to eat?”

                Percy smiled. “Certainly. I’ll make something for you right away.”

                Tim hummed his acknowledgement and took a seat at the kitchen table that was rarely used by the members of the household. He didn’t think it could hurt to stay in the same room. It would at least prevent Percy from having to track him down wherever he would manage to wander off to.

                As Percy moved around the kitchen and pulled various pots and things from the cabinets he noticed the butler glance his way out of the corner of his eye several times. Tim assumed that it was because he wasn’t used to having a member of the household for an audience, but he wouldn’t let that drive him away. There was silence between them, but it was a comfortable silence. The room was filled with the melodies provided by the clicking of the stove, the tinkling of uncooked pasta and the soft bubbling of water.

                A bowl of mac ‘n cheese was set in front of him. It wasn’t the fanciest meal that he’d ever had, but he honestly wasn’t bothered by it. If anything, Tim was a little surprised that Percy would settle for making something so simple for him instead of some elaborate dinner or more complicated meal. Tentatively, and aware that Percy was still shooting him glances as he hesitantly began to wash the dishes he’d used, Tim scooped up a small spoonful of pasta and brought it to his mouth.

                He sighed and closed his eyes as the warm food and burst of flavor filled him with contentment after such a long day. He relaxed back in his chair and ate another spoonful, immediately noticing the slight change in Percy’s demeanor. His shoulders lost the bit of tension that Tim hadn’t even realized they’d been holding and his movements became more loose and leisurely. He thought this just might be the start of a slight friendship between the two of them. They obviously hadn’t interacted much or spent so much time in close quarters together before and Tim didn’t see any problem with changing that.

                After finishing his meal, Tim pushed his chair back and carried his empty bowl over to Percy who was still standing at the sink working on the other dishes. He felt a little awkward just handing the dirty bowl off to him, but didn’t know how to broach the subject any other way.

                “Thanks for the meal, Percy,” Tim said before stepping away.

                Percy smiled at him and nodded politely.

                Hesitating for a moment, Tim walked out of the kitchen and headed back up to his room. He shut his door behind him and grabbed his laptop before flopping down on his bed. The amount of free time that he had was staggering and most of it was spent wondering what he could do with all of the time that he had. He opened his computer and pulled up his web browser. He hadn’t realized how time consuming running Gotham’s Underworld had been. Sighing, he resigned himself to another night spent watching T.V. shows online.

                Tim jolted awake at the sound of her alarm. She looked around bleary-eyed and realized that after she’d curled up on her side, she’d fallen asleep watching whatever show she’d settled on the night before. She closed her computer and pushed herself out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She grabbed her phone and checked her email, pleased to find something from Bane in her inbox. He said that her and Jason could come in after school and work with him on the program for the group lessons.

                She grabbed her workout leggings and her new Bane’s gym tank top and threw those in her duffle bag with her hand wraps, gloves, and shoes. After setting her bag by her backpack she grabbed a clean white button down and her new skirt and socks. Tim pulled off the clothes that she’d fallen asleep in the night before. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her shirt and buttoned it slowly, prolonging getting dressed this morning. It was her first day dressing for school in the girl’s uniform and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

                She unzipped her skirt and slid her legs through it, loving the feeling of every slide of fabric and rustle the skirt made. She settled it over where her shirt settled around her waist and zipped up the waist. She grabbed her tie and blazer and went to look over appearance in the floor length mirror that hung on the back of her door. She smiled happily at how she looked in her uniform, taking the time to soak in every little bit as she knotted the tie around her neck.

                Tim pulled on her socks and shoes quickly and grabbed her backpack and duffel bag before heading down the stairs for breakfast. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed wearing a skirt or how freeing it could honestly be to do so. She knew she had a stupid little smile on her face, but didn’t care to do anything about it. She walked into the kitchen and set her things down at the table before turning around to find Percy staring at her.

                She flushed, but stood her ground, tilting her chin up as she looked at Percy coolly.

                Percy cleared his throat. “Would you care for some breakfast, Master Timothy? Or is it…Mistress Timothy?”

                “Mistress Timothy. Today, please,” Tim ended sheepishly.

                Percy nodded once before turning his back and moving around the kitchen, pulling out pans and cooking ingredients. She knew that this wasn’t about to be an easy day, but she hadn’t expected things to go over with Percy so well. If only she could expect the same from her classmates.

                Percy set down a plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes in from of Tim. He returned a moment later with a glass of orange juice and some syrup for the pancakes.

                “Thank you, Percy,” she said, nodding.

                He stepped back to walk away, but hesitated at the counter.

                “Is something wrong?”

                Percy cleared his throat and turned to face Tim fully. “I don’t mean to overstep my boundaries, but…do your parents know? Have you broached this subject with them yet?”

                Tim sighed and sat back in her chair. “I haven’t, no.”

                Percy nodded. “I figured as much. Is this really the best way to go about this? Shock them into seeing you for the person you are?”

                “Probably not,” she said, going back to her breakfast. “But I don’t know what else to do. I’m sure they’ll never see me wearing this anyway so it’ll probably be months from now before it comes up.”

                “I’m not so sure about that. There could be one morning where one of them happen to be up and see you. What do you think will happen when you get to school? I expect the administration is going to call your parents about this. I could also let something slip about how I saw you leave for school in a skirt this morning. They are already suspicious of your recent behavior.”

                Tim felt the blood drain from her face, but felt adamant in her decision to remain true to herself no matter the consequences. At the very least she had a job where she was welcome and had already formed her contingency plans.

                “I’m prepared for anything that may come with them. I want to do this. I’m tired of hiding and if they can’t accept me for who I am then I’ll find somewhere else to go.”

                Percy sighed and shook his head. “I truly hope that you don’t come to regret this decision.”

                “I’m not ashamed of who I am,” she bit out, narrowing her eyes.

                Percy nodded and walked out of the kitchen, leaving her in peace. She looked down at her food and took a drink of juice to clear her throat before returning to her meal. She finished eating quickly, barely tasting what she was on her plate. Tim left her dishes in the sink for Percy and grabbed her backpack and duffel. She took a few deep, steadying breaths before walking out the front door to the Manor and heading down the drive, head held high for the day to come.

                Tim studiously ignored the looks and glances that were shot her way as she rode the bus to her school. Strangers were the least of her worries and she felt they wouldn’t try anything in such a public place anyway. And if they did…well, she had a few surprises of her own. By the time she walked through the front doors of her school, her stomach was a ball of nerves. She kept swallowing, hoping to keep her breakfast down for as long as possible.

                The few first feet past the entrance doors left everyone blissfully unaware of her presence. But it didn’t take long for the looks to start up and the whispers to follow. She did her best to ignore it. There wasn’t anything harsh or hurtful being said or thrown around yet. It was mostly just confused and interested chatter. Tim pushed forward to where her locker was. She could do this. She’d done it before and she could do it again.

                She sighed deeply when the note came. It had taken less than an hour into the school day for the news to reach the principal and the summons to his office to come. In some bitter part of her mind, she thought that this wouldn’t be happening if the principal was a woman and not a man. Tim took the note quickly, crumpling it in her palm, and left the classroom with her things. This meeting would probably take a while, after all.

                She was ushered into the principal’s office almost immediately. The secretary didn’t even ask for her name when she walked in, just stood up and walked her past the other office doors. Tim was now seated stiffly in one of the uncomfortable leather chairs that were arranged in front of Mr. Pearson’s desk. He was observing her coolly over the tops of his interlaced fingers.

                “Mr. Drake,” he began. Tim narrowed her eyes. “What is this about? I would think that you know that boys are not permitted to wear skirts at our age-old institution.”

                Tim smiled. She’d expected this exact reaction. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

                “Excuse me?” Mr. Pearson never appreciated being contradicted.

                “There is nothing in the student handbook or the dress code that explicitly states school uniforms are restricted to one gender over the other. And I’ll have you know, that even if that was the case, I am fully permitted within my gender identity to wear a skirt to school.”

                “Mr. Drake, just what exactly are you implying?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

                “I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you, in explicit and no uncertain terms, that I am genderfluid. I fluctuate between identifying with both the male and female gender as well as experiencing days where I don’t identify with either gender. Now, if that’s all that you need, I think I’ll be returning to class. I’ve already missed a portion of my next lesson and would rather not get behind due to this unfortunate misunderstanding.”

                Tim nodded once at Mr. Pearson, who was watching her open-mouthed, before making her exit through the open door. The group of faculty that she found crowded in the hallway didn’t surprise her. She looked over all of them, committing the group to memory. She left the office as she’d come, quietly and in complete control of who she was.

                As she walked through the halls to her next class, Tim didn’t know what to expect from the rest of the day. It was obvious that this wasn’t over yet, but she wasn’t about to just roll over and accept what they were trying to throw at her. She was going to fight this with every fiber of her being. And if she happened to hit or kick Jason a little harder at work, well, that was neither here nor there. And he probably deserved it. At least a little bit.

Tim smiled. It wasn’t a pretty smile or a sweet smile. It was a battle-ready smile. Venomous and powerful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	10. Chapter 10

                Jason hurried into Bane’s, excited for the training day that was set to come and the work that he’d get to do during that afternoon. It meant that his actual job was going to start soon and he was ready to face it head on. He knew that he’d just seen Tim the day before, but he was looking forward to sparring and fighting with them again. Finding out how both of them had changed during the transition to this new universe and learning what old skills remained was exciting beyond belief. The woman working the front desk nodded at him as he swiped his employee ID, effectively unlocking the door to the main area and letting him inside.

                It wasn’t too crowded for that time of day since school had just let out, but the after work crowd hadn’t been released yet. He hurried over to the locker room and slipped inside, grabbing an open changing room and pulling his backpack open. He pulled out his fitted workout pants and shirt. Jason changed quickly and pulled on his sneakers with more force than necessary but he couldn’t be blamed for being so excited. He shoved his clothes back in his bag and gathered his hand wraps and gloves in his arm, balancing them in the crook of his elbow.

                On his way out of the locker room, he stuffed his backpack in an available locker before hustling back out into the main area. He left his gloves in a pile next to the available mats and began to wrap his hands while spreading his legs wider than his shoulders to begin his stretches. He wrapped his hands snugly and open and closed his fists to test the fit.

                Satisfied, he started working through his stretches, pulling his arms over his head before stretching his arms across his body and then bending over to stretch his quads and warm up his legs. He took a seat on the floor and stretched out his legs, first stretching across to the left and then to the right, holding each position for a count of thirty seconds. Beginning to feel the warming of his muscles, Jason pushed himself to his feet and hopped in place a couple of times, reminding himself of how it felt to be light on his feet while training or during a fight.

                Smiling to himself, he started going through some light movements and technique work, getting the feel of how his body was doing. It felt good to move his body again and he crossed the mat quickly, steps fluid. When he turned to face where he’d come from, he spotted Tim walking through the gym door, an obvious scowl on their face. He frowned, wondering what could be wrong when he noticed the skirt they were wearing. His frown turned into a smile, realization dawning on him.

                He was happy that they’d made the decision to get a skirt and wear it to school, but he also suspected that the day hadn’t gone as well as they’d hoped which was to be expected when people weren’t used to it. He watched as they walked into the changing room with their duffle bag and hurried over to his gloves. He could get in some practice punches on the bag if anything while he waited for Tim to join him after they changed into something more suitable.

                Jason slipped his hands into his boxing gloves and tightened the Velcro straps to ensure his hands wouldn’t come loose. He stepped up to one of the many bags and started with a few jabs. He already felt the sweat forming on his forehead and knew there would be more to come. He was ready to work hard again and put his efforts behind something that he cared about.

                As he added in several hooks into his combinations he saw Tim come out of the locker room and head towards him. They set down their gloves next to his and began going through their own stretches and warmups. He watched them out of the corner of his eye as he continued to go through more difficult combinations. When he saw Tim back on their feet, he left the bag and walked over to them where they were slipping their hands into MMA gloves.

                “Pronouns?”

                Tim glanced up at him. “She/her,” she said bluntly. “Feel like sparring today?”

                Jason grinned, wolfishly. “I’d like nothing more.” He pulled his hands from the boxing gloves quickly and picked up the MMA pair on the floor, getting those on and turning to face Tim where she had already moved to the center of the mat.

                Tim dropped into her fighting stance and Jason mimicked her. “Have a rough day?”

                They began to circle each other. “Like I’d tell you,” she scoffed.

                Jason moved in and swung at Tim who evaded easily. “I’d still want to know. I still care.”

                She grit her teeth and threw several punches that Jason blocked with ease. He retaliated with a roundhouse that she jumped back from, immediately regaining her stance and raising her fists. They circled each other again, watching for any opening or sign of weakness. Jason rushed forward, throwing several high punches that Tim ducked, aiming for his stomach. He twisted with the movement and avoided taking the brunt of the impact, allowing her fists to glance off of him instead.

                He dropped into a crouch and swept his leg out, aiming for Tim’s legs. She jumped above it and threw out a leg at Jason’s head that he ducked under before rolling away and jumping to his feet. His sweat was coming freely now and he saw a flush spreading across Tim’s cheeks. She made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat and rushed forward.

                Jason parried each of her blows as they descended into non-stop hand-to-hand, pushing each other across the mat as they worked together. He was already beginning to feel the burn in his legs from the constant movement and saw that both his and Tim’s punches and evasions were becoming tired and slightly sloppy.

                He could see Tim’s frustration building as their fight continued. It was obvious that she felt she could door better and would have preferred to have laid him flat on his back already, but neither of them were in ideal shape for that and Tim was letting her anger get the best of her. He blocked a punch that she had aimed for his side and retaliated with an uppercut that connected nicely with Tim’s stomach. The air whooshed out of her lungs and she forced herself backwards, gasping to try and regain her breath.

                Jason kept his guard up. “Feel like talking about it now? You seem pretty frustrated and I don’t think it has to do with our current spar session.”

                She opened her mouth to retaliate.

                “Jason! Tim!” They both turned to find Bane walking up to the edge of the mat with two water bottles in hand. “How about a water break? You’re looking pretty good from what I saw while I was walking over. Have you talked about how you’re going to run your class yet?”

                “No, actually,” Jason said, walking up to him and taking the two waters. “We’ll get right on that,” he said, shooting a glance Tim’s way where she was still standing in the middle of the mat.

                Bane nodded and headed back to his office waving at them over his shoulder. Jason walked back over to Tim and handed her a water before sitting down. She hesitated a moment but followed his lead and sat cross-legged across from him.

                “So how do you think we should handle the whole class thing?” he asked as he took a drink of water.

                “Start with the basics, I suppose. Correct stances and how to throw punches. We can take several minutes getting everyone warmed up and ready to go before starting on the actual combinations. I’d keep it simple to start with and see how everyone responds before adding in more difficult combinations and moves. We should probably hold off on any kicks or more difficult things until later,” she answered, staring at the bottle in her hands.

                Jason nodded. “I think you’ve got a good idea there. We don’t want to go too fast and we can always do a second class for people who have slightly more experience and add in more difficult moves there. That way we won’t have to have people who get the hang of the moves more quickly in the same class as total beginners. That could be really discouraging for them if they aren’t getting it or are just starting out. We can avoid an intimidation factor and keep everyone happy.”

                “Exactly!” Tim smiled, grinning broadly before remembering herself and wiping it from her face, gaze returning to the floor. She cleared her throat. “And if some of the clients want to improve even further that’s where the personal training sessions can come in for beginners and the more advanced students as well.”

                “Is there anything that you want to specialize in for personal training sessions? Like, do you want to focus on kicks or using your smaller frame to an advantage and getting behind people’s defenses or throwing bigger opponents off with their own weight and momentum?”

                “I’d like to specialize in work with a bo staff,” she muttered bitterly.

                Jason chuckled which earned him a glare from Tim. “Maybe we can get you one soon. I don’t know if we can convince Bane to let you give lessons, but maybe we can get you one to train with so you don’t have to go through any serious withdrawal without swinging a stick around.”

                “It’s not just a stick.”

                “Yeah, yeah.”

                Silence descended between the two of them. It was a comfortable silence for once which surprised Jason. They hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms since seeing each other again and he liked that they were able to get back to a point where they were relaxed with each other.

                “Is school going alright? I know that this week is homecoming for me, which is such a drag. The student council’s organized all of these events for the student body to do before the big football game on Saturday. I used to think that I missed out on a bunch of stuff since I didn’t really get a normal life before, but this is worse than putting up with an idiot gang who tries to shit all over our territory,” Jason grumbled.

                Tim stared at him and lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Homecoming is the thing that’s bothering you the most out of this whole situation?”

                “Why wouldn’t it? I finally have a chance to live somewhat normally and experience what it’s like to go to high school and, hopefully, college. I can learn what it’s like to have a normal life and get a boring job that probably won’t satisfy me in any way, but at least with it my life won’t be threatened after every corner that I turn.”

                Tim looked to the side. “Weren’t you happy at least? Did you really hate your life that much? Our life?”

                Jason’s gaze softened and his mouth quirked up into a small smile. “Of course I was happy. I found happiness in the life that I’d been given even though so much could’ve been different. Now I’ve got the chance to live a normal life and be happy with being ordinary and I want that. And I want it with you. I want to be able to take you out to dinner or go see a movie or just hang out in a bookstore. I want to go on stupid teenager dates and act all gross and romantic.”

                Tim sighed heavily. “We could’ve done that! We could’ve done stupid, romantic things or gone to movies!” she objected.

                Jason shook his head sadly and looked into Tim’s eyes. “No we couldn’t have. And you know it. I didn’t know I’d have this second chance when I pulled the trigger. I was prepared for the worst and knew that whatever was coming, I’d earned it. I never would’ve dreamed to have this sort of chance or this type of life. I have my Mom, Tim. I want you to be happy here. I want us to be happy here.”

                “We aren’t normal people, Jason. I don’t know how you expect me to live a normal life after everything that I’ve been through. Everything that we’ve been through.”

                “It’s not going to be perfect. That’s fine! Nothing is ever perfect, but I want to do it with you and that’s what matters. I know that you’re probably pissed because you feel as though you’ve been set back and I know that you’re mad at me, but I know that this can work. Or at least I want to try.”

                “How do you expect me to trust you after everything that’s happened?” Tim asked, desperation and hysteria seeping into her voice.

                Jason shook his head. “I’ll earn your trust back. You haven’t always trusted me-you didn’t in the beginning-but I’ll show you that I’m someone who can still be trusted. But you have to meet me halfway. Give me something to trust with. Put your faith in me that I’m not going to turn on you or hurt you again, because I know that what I did was unforgivable and you shouldn’t even consider the possibly of trusting me-“

                “You’re not doing much for your argument as to why I should trust you there,” Tim interrupted.

                Jason stared at her for a moment before laughing. “I suppose you’re right. I’m not actually.”

                Tim smiled tentatively.

                “But help me earn your trust back in some way. I know you better than anyone else in this universe. Let me be there for you.”

                Tim took a deep breath.

                “How’s everything going over here?”

                Jason looked up, startled to find Bane standing over them with his hands on his hips and a wide grin on his face. Jason forced a smile and a nod.

                “Pretty good. We were just working through some of our ideas on how to handle classes. We think that we should have a beginner and intermediate level class so that new people can learn the basics while more advanced clients can learn some different techniques and movements.”

                Bane nodded. “That sounds like a great idea! We can start with the beginning class tomorrow and see how it goes. If that looks good I’ll go ahead and schedule the intermediate class for Thursday-I know we said we’d do every other day, but I think we should try that as soon as possible to work out all the scheduling kinks and get an idea of how much interest there is for these classes. Is there any additional equipment that you think you might need as we get started with all of this?”

                “Well…” Tim spoke up, smirk tugging at her lips.

                “Oh? What is it, Tim?” Bane asked.

                “I’d love to get a bo staff. That’s something that I’m pretty proficient in.”

                “Is that something that you think you’d give private lessons on?”

                “If there’s a demand for it.”

                Bane hummed. “I’ll look into some products and see about costs. If I can get some good quality equipment for a low price we might try this out. If it’s cheaper to order one I’ll get that in and we can see how well you do with it and if it’s worth investing in another for classes.”

                “And if you decide against including it?”

                Bane smiled. “I’ll let you keep the bo staff, don’t worry. I have no other use for it anyway and I don’t see the point in trying to resell it. I’ll let the two of you get back to work on planning your first class tomorrow.”

                The two of them watched as he walked off to circle around the gym and check on any clients who might need assistance.

                Tim turned to face Jason. “You want me to show you some trust?”

                “I want you to give me something to trust me with. I don’t need to learn to trust you. I never stopped.”

                “Fine. I wore a skirt to school for the first time today. I challenged the principal when he called me into his office and refused to relent when he tried to convince me I wasn’t allowed to because of some misunderstood gender assumption. My parents don’t know about my genderfluidity and I had to deal with people being dicks to me all day for deciding to wear a skirt. Now,” Tim said, pushing herself into a standing position, “if we’re done here, I’d like to get some training in on my own if you wouldn’t mind.”

                Jason scrambled to his feet and grabbed her hand as she turned away and pulled her to him. She hit his chest with a surprised gasp as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

                “I’m sorry that people were mean to you, but I think what you’re doing is incredibly strong and hope that things work out with your parents. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll always be here.”

                Tim’s tense shoulders didn’t relax at all and Jason slowly let her go. She was staring at the floor fiercely. He let his hands fall from her shoulders.

                “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and walked off, picking up his gloves at the edge of the mat and left her to train. Jason entered the locker room and opened up his locker to retrieve his backpack. He stuffed his gloves inside, pulling of the pair of MMA gloves and quickly stripped his hands of the wraps, pushing those inside as well. He slung one of the straps over his shoulder and decided that he’d wait until he got home to change and that way he could get a hot shower in as well. He glanced over at Tim who was giving all she had against one of the heavy bags.

                She sent a backwards roundhouse to the bag before stopping and letting herself catch her breath for a few seconds, chest heaving from the exertion and hands balled into fists. She turned her head and looked over at him, nodding her head once. Jason’s eyes widened at the unexpected gesture and he felt a grin nearly split his face in half. Tim just rolled her eyes and turned back to the bag, taking up her stance once again before starting up a new combination.

                Jason readjusted the strap of his bag and crossed the main floor of the gym towards the exit with a new spring in his step. He nodded happily to the woman who was still working the front desk before pushing the front doors open and heading out onto the sidewalk and turning towards the bus stop.

                As gloomy as Gotham’s sky happened to be thanks to all of the pollution, the world hadn’t ever seemed to be so bright and pleasant. Jason knew that things were going to change and he was looking forward to whatever was coming, hoping that it would indeed be in his favor and that he would be able to patch things up with Tim. He missed his girlfriend and wanted to spend time with her again. He just hoped that Tim knew good things were coming too and wouldn’t try to fight it every step of the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for this chapter because progress happens!!! Aghhh!!
> 
> Merry christmas, happy holidays, merry winter! Whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate, here's an update for you regardless!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim landed heavily on her bed and threw an arm over her eyes, chest heaving. She’d practically run home after her workout, adrenaline and energy coursing through her veins. She felt strangely giddy and thought that if she let herself, a bit of hysterical laughter would probably slip out. She moved her arm and pushed her fingers through her hair.

                She was trying to hold on to the anger that had kept her going since she woke up in this universe and had dictated her actions with Jason, but she felt it slowly disappearing. He always knew how to get under her skin. It had happened once before and now he was doing it again. Getting behind her defenses and making her care about him. She knew it was only a matter of time before all of her walls came crumbling down and she knew that Jason knew about that.

                Tim groaned and buried her face in her hands as she sat up. She felt a smile tugging at her lips and practically wanted to smack herself over something so ridiculous. Shaking her head at herself, she pushed herself from the bed and grabbed a clean change of clothes before heading into the bathroom. She turned on the water and started to strip out of her sweaty workout clothes before stepping under the hot spray, humming to herself as she reached for the shampoo.

                She stepped out of the shower feeling incredibly refreshed and dressed with a small smile on her face. Tim dumped her sweaty clothes in the hamper and went to crawl onto her bed when there was a knock at her door.

                “Come in,” she said, confused on who as coming to her room.

                “Mistress Timothy,” Percy began, standing in her doorway, “your parents are in the dining room and waiting for you so that dinner may begin.”

                Tim nodded and swallowed down the panic that was pushing up her throat. She followed Percy down the stairs and through the Manor before being ushered into the dining room where her parents looked at her expectantly before she hesitantly sat down.

                “Thank you, Percy,” her mother addressed the butler before picking up her cutlery to begin eating. Tim quickly followed, hoping that this dinner wouldn’t last long and she could have her escape.

                There were a few blessed moments of silence before her mother spoke up again.

                “We received a very interesting phone call from your principal today.”

                It took all of Tim’s willpower for her to not freeze up where she sat. She swallowed the bite of food that was in her mouth before speaking. “Oh?”

                “Yes. He told us that our _son_ had come to school wearing the girls’ school uniform. And that when he called you into his office, you explained to him that you weren’t breaking the dress code and that even if there was a rule against boys wearing skirts, you would still be within your rights of the code because of your genderfluidity. Would you care to explain just what this means? Are you going through some sort of phase, Tim? Is this your idea of acting out because if it is this isn’t funny.”

                The sharp tone that her mother’s voice had taken on at the end of her tirade made her wince. She sighed and set her fork down before turning to her parents.

                She took a deep breath. “I’m not acting out. And I’m not joking. I’d never joke about something like this. As much as you might not like it, I’m genderfluid. I identify with both the male and female gender as well as neither gender. I’d like for this not to create a rift between us and I would prefer if you’d be able to accept me for who I am. I know that you probably don’t consider this to be ideal, but it’s who I am and I’m not going to force myself to be someone I’m not.”

                “Tim, I just don’t understand. You used to be such a happy and carefree person. You had no problems doing your schoolwork and enjoyed just keeping to yourself.”

                Tim smiled bitterly. “If you took the time to actually talk to me and get to know me rather than shove me to the side in favor of your jobs and Gotham’s elite, you would know that I wasn’t quite as carefree or happy as you thought I was. I had no problems with schoolwork because that’s what I’d do in order to make an excuse to be alone. I’m happy now, being able to express myself as I would like and being true to myself. I enjoy my job and am happy doing what I’m doing. I’d like for you to be able to respect that at least.”

                She pushed her chair back and stood from where she was sitting, hands balled into fists.

                “Timothy!” his father protested.

                “If I may break in,” Percy said, stepping smoothly from his place near the door. Everyone’s gazes snapped towards where the butler was standing, hands clasped behind his back.

                “Percy?!” Tim’s mom screeched.

                “Master and Madam Drake…I understand that this situation is difficult and unexpected. But I believe that it would be best for everyone if you gave Mistress Timothy your support in her life and desires.”

                Everyone stared at Percy, utterly speechless at his short and supportive statement. Tim grinned at him, expression bright and hopeful. She looked towards her parents who were staring open-mouthed. Slowly, their gazes slid towards each other and they shared a look that Tim had no hope of beginning to understand. Tim’s mom put a hand over her mouth and stared at a spot on the table intently.

                “Tim,” she spoke suddenly. “I would appreciate it if you could give your father and I a moment alone to talk about this.”

                Tim nodded once before stalking out of the dining room. Percy stepped out behind her and shut the doors on her parents.

                “I’m sure that everything will be alright, Mistress Timothy,” Percy said in a reassuring tone.

                Tim simply ducked her head and grasped the bottom of her shirt, hoping this was going to turn out better than what happened in her original universe.

                After what felt like a century, the door was pulled open by Tim’s father. He looked over her once and stepped back, beaconing her inside. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before walking inside, determined not to show any sign of weakness in front of her mother. She swallowed thickly when she caught sight of the woman in question. She had her eyes covered with one of her hands and remained motionless in her chair as Tim made her way back to her own.

                She was silent for a moment after Tim took her seat. “You know,” she began softly, breaking the silence, “I always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter. I thought that I wanted one for a time, but knew that I wouldn’t have more than one child because the responsibility would be too great. It looks like we weren’t entirely prepared for a single child with how stellar our parenting has been.”

                Tim just stared, unable to comprehend the fact that her mother had just used sarcasm.

                “But,” she said heavily, letting her hand fall away and looking Tim square in the eyes, “I never expected to have a genderfluid child either. I’m even further out of my element than I originally was when I had you. What I’m trying to say is,” she said, looking towards her husband, “I’m out of my depth here. It’s going to be difficult and it shouldn’t have taken this to make me realize that I need to actually get my head out of my ass and try to be a god damn parent for once.”

                Everyone gaped at her. She’d never failed to use what she considered proper language before.

                “You’re going to have to be patient with me, but I want to try to support you at least. And if it means that I get to take you shopping at the best boutiques Gotham has to offer, then that’s just an added bonus. So…I’m sorry for my harsh words from earlier and hope that you can forgive me from my absence in your life so far. There’s nothing that I can do to make up for all of those years that I’d pushed you aside, but I can make myself a presence going forward. If that is something that you would like and appreciate.”

                Silence descended on the group as Tim continued to stare and much to her surprise, unbidden tears overflowed and streamed down her cheeks. The reaction startled her mom who sat forward quickly, hands extended in front of her.

                “Tim…?” she asked.

                Tim brought her hands up to her face, wiping at the tears furiously. “Thank you. Thank you, Mom. I never thought that this would be the reaction that I would get, but I…thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” She stood so abruptly that she nearly knocked her chair over. “I have to go tell Jason,” she gasped.

                Her mother tutted, stopping her in her tracks. She smiled softly. “You can talk to him later. We should finish dinner first.”

                Tim nodded and wiped away the last of her tears before sitting down and turning to her food once again.

                Dinner took far longer to complete than she would have liked and it was with an exasperated wave of her mother’s hand that let Tim sprint from the room and up the stairs to her bedroom. It wasn’t until she pulled out her phone that she realized she didn’t have Jason’s phone number. And it took her another minute after that to question why she needed to tell Jason in the first place. She petulantly threw down her phone on her bed and crossed her arms, utterly irritated.

                She buried her face in her hands and let herself fall sideways onto the comforter, picking at a thread that had come loose from the top stitching. With a groan she grabbed her phone before shutting off her bedroom lamp and forcing herself under the covers. She could easily wait until the next day when she would see Jason again at work.

                Tim reached over to their alarm as it went off and pulled it towards them. They shut off the sound and reached their hands over their head to stretch. They let their limbs fall heavily onto the pillow above their head and smiled up at the ceiling, feeling more content than they had in a while. They pushed themselves up and walked over to their dresser, pulling out their uniform for the day.

                They gathered up their backpack and everything they would need for school that day before heading downstairs to grab some breakfast. Tim nearly dropped their backpack when they walked through the doors of the dining room and found their parents sitting at the table.

                “Shouldn’t you be at work?” they didn’t mean for their voice to come out quite so accusing, but this wasn’t exactly something normal that happened every day.

                Their mother smiled. “I thought that it would be nice for the three of us to have breakfast together today.”

                Tim nodded dumbly and slowly walked over to their chair, sitting down carefully. They set their backpack on the floor next to them and began to eat, aware that their mother was watching them intently.

                “My pronouns for today are they/them,” they said, glancing at their parents out of the corner of their eye.

                Their mother gave them a relieved smile. “And that means that you don’t identify as a boy or girl today right?”

                Tim nodded and took another bite of fruit. “Yeah. And if you’re ever unsure of how I’m identifying for the day, just ask for my pronouns, okay?”

                “Okay,” she said, turning to her own food.

                Tim felt their excitement getting to them and ate their food far faster than they probably needed to. They pushed their plate away and headed out of the dining room.

                “See you later!” they called over their shoulder as they burst through the front doors to the Manor and raced down the drive towards the gate and the bus stop. Tim practically ran all the way there and waited, bouncing on the balls of their feet until the bus rumbled up to the stop, letting them on.

                Tim tried to keep the grin form their face, they really did, but with little success. They walked into school feeling much better than the day before and knew that they were probably going to have a tough time concentrating with all of their pent up energy. Work that afternoon was probably going to be pretty exciting with how happy they were.

                They nearly sprinted from the building when the final bell rang. A few people had made snide comments to them about their skirt from the day before, but nothing could honestly bother them at the moment and a few nasty remarks weren’t going to bring them down. Instead, they hurried down the street to Bane’s gym and pulled open the front doors. They smiled at the man working the front desk and scanned their card, hurrying across the gym floor to the locker room. They caught site of Jason already on the mats warming up and saw a few people beginning to gather around the edge of the mat for the class.

                Tim changed quickly, stuffing their things into a locker before hurrying back out to join the group. They dropped their gloves at the edge of the mat and began to wrap their hands as they started going through their stretches. After stretching, they shook out their limbs and looked over at Jason who was watching them curiously. They gave him a bright smile which he easily returned before they stepped to the center of the mat to address the group that had gathered there.

                “Welcome everyone! This is our first beginner’s boxing class and we’re glad that all of you could join us today. If you wouldn’t mind spreading out on the mats, we can get through some warmups. If you have any questions or need to follow along, Tim and I are going to be your guides today.”

                The group formed three lines across the mat and Tim and Jason stood several feet apart to give everyone a view of at least one instructor. Without thinking, the two of them launched into their stretch routine that they would often do before sparring with each other. Tim was a little surprised when they realized it, but thought it was only fitting that they still knew each other so well.

                “Everyone’s looking really good this afternoon. Now we can get around to the punches,” Jason said, holding up his hand. “There are three main punches that we use in boxing and the combinations that are thrown include different patterns of the same punches.”

                Tim and Jason each took up their boxing stance.

                “This is the stance that you will use for the class. If everyone could try and mimic our postures we can come around and make any necessary corrections.”

                Splitting up, the two of them wove their way through the lines of people, making any necessary adjustments. Once that was completed they headed back to the front of the group.

                “Great! Now, the first punch is a jab. It’s just a straight punch,” he said, demonstrating. Everyone copied the motion and Jason nodded his head. “Next are hooks. You can do these with both your right and left hands, but the motion is the same. And finally, uppercuts. Again, these can be done with both the left and right hands like so.”

                The class progressed well and Tim was ecstatic when they were finished.

                “If anyone has any questions Tim and I can answer those for you before you leave,” Jason said, bringing an end to the session. Tim waved off several people who thanked them for their work and watched as Jason handled a few of the patrons who had questions, going over proper stances and technique. Left alone, Tim picked up their boxing gloves and slid them on before heading over to one of the heavy bags.

                They began with one of the simpler combinations they’d taught that day to get the feel of it on the bag. Before long, they were throwing complex punches and had even added in a few kicks to work out a bit more energy.

                “Someone’s in a good mood today!”

                Tim turned to find Jason smiling down at them and beamed up at him. “I have good reason to be.”

                He raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

                Tim ducked their head and bit their lip. “Yeah. I uh-told my parents last night. About my genderfluidity. They took it better than expected. Mom said that she was going to try at least and be around more than she has been.”

                They nearly squawked in surprise when Jason picked them up and spun them around.

                “That’s so great, Tim! Congratulations! I’m so proud of you,” he said, setting them down and taking a step back.

                Tim rubbed the back of their neck and felt themself flush. “Yeah. I-uh, wanted to tell you last night, but I didn’t have anyway of getting a message to you or anything.”

                Jason chuckled. “Tim if you wanted my phone number, you could’ve just asked.”

                “Shut up,” they grouched, flushing even further.

                “Here,” Jason said, holding out his hand. Tim looked up at him and made no move to do anything. “Come on, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in it.”

                They sighed. “Jason, we’re in the middle of the gym. My phone’s in my backpack which is in one of the lockers.”

                “Right,” he said letting his hand drop. “Come on, then. I should probably head out anyway and you should too. I’m sure that you got in enough boxing for the day with the class and the extra work that you decided to do.”

                Tim shrugged and followed after him into the locker room, picking up their gloves along the way. They opened their locker and pulled their bag from it. They stuffed their gloves into their backpack and pulled off their hand wraps adding them to the mix, too. Digging around further into their bag, they found their phone and pulled it out, before zipping it back up and slinging the strap over their shoulder.

                A phone was shoved into their face and they looked up to find Jason smiling at them. They smiled back and took the phone, replacing it with their own. They entered their number quickly and held it out to Jason who took it back and placed their phone in their hand.

                “Thanks, Tim,” he said, leaning in and placing a light kiss on their cheek before walking out. Tim stared after him, a funny feeling coming to life in their chest. It was familiar, and, strangely, not unwelcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos, and feedback is always loved and welcomed!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update! By the way, updates are probably going to start slowing down again after this. Tomorrow I fly out to Scotland where I'm spending a semester abroad which means more classes. I should still have time to update one of my fics each week, but just letting y'all know that classes are on their way back. ^.^
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the chapter and have a happy new year!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason sat in the middle of his bed, staring down at his phone with a giddy expression on his face. He couldn’t believe that he had Tim’s phone number. And how happy they’d been that afternoon. The smile that had come so easily to their face. It was everything that he hoped for for them. They seemed so happy with life and carefree and that’s more than he could ask for. That’s the life that he wanted for them. That he wanted with them.

                He bit his lip and opened up a new message, tapping his fingers nervously against the side of his phone.

 

_Jason: Hey._

                He locked his phone and let himself fall back onto his mattress, butterflies taking residence inside of his stomach. Simple was the best way to start in his opinion. He threw an arm over his face, the seconds ticking slowly by.

                “Jason?” his mom asked, the sound of the front door opening catching his attention.

                “Yeah?” he called back.

                He heard her footsteps across the floor and moved his arm when he hear her come into his bedroom, unable to curb the grin that was still pulling on his lips.

                “Someone looks to be in a good mood!” she said, cheerily, coming to sit down on the edge of his bed. “Any particular reason why?” She was smirking and Jason couldn’t find it in himself to actually care about that. He just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

                “Is it a girl?” she asked, propping her chin in her hand.

                “Well…”

                “A boy, then?” She quirked an eyebrow.

                “They’re genderfluid actually so both sort of apply…” Jason pushed himself into a sitting position, crossing his legs. He bit his lip and stared down at his hands in his lap.

                “So just someone special.” She hummed. “What’s their name?”

                “Moommm,” he whined.

                “Oh come on, I’m your mother, you can tell me these things,” she said, laughing.

                Jason looked up through his eyelashes. “Tim. Their name is Tim.”

                “Tim huh? Have you asked them out yet?”

                “Mommmm,” Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands.

                “I’ll take that as a no,” she said, running her fingers through Jason’s hair. “Come on,” she said, patting his leg, “I’m going to go make dinner and you can tell me more about this Tim who’s got you so enthralled and lovesick.”

                “I’m not lovesick,” he said, exasperated, but climbed off the bed, phone clutched in hand, and followed his mom into the kitchen.

                “You can deny it all you want, but I’m not buying it.”

                Jason took a seat at the table, phone in front of him as his mom took up residence at the counter, vegetables and chopping board in place.

                “So…how did you meet Tim? Do they go to the same school as you?”

                “No,” Jason said almost wistfully. “We actually work together. They go to a private school.”

                “Oh? Which one?”

                Jason furrowed his brow, trying to remember the name of the school that he’d shown up at what felt like so long ago. “Um…Anders I think.”

                “Oohhh, fancy!” she said, flashing him a grin.

                Jason blushed and ducked his head, gaze flitting to his still silent phone.

                “Isn’t your school’s football team playing against Anders this weekend for homecoming?”

                His head whipped up to stare at his mom. “What? Really?”

                “That’s what I thought. You can always check the schedule and see what that says.”

                Jason picked up his phone and opened his web browser, quickly searching for his school’s homepage. Sure enough, his school was playing Anders Academy on Saturday. He was so focused on what he was staring at that the sudden vibration of his phone made him jolt in his seat. He quickly switched over to his messages and couldn’t help the grin that pulled at his lips.

 

_Tim: The best you can do is a hey?_

_Jason: I didn’t really know what to say and I thought that would be the best starting point._

                His mom gave him a knowing smile that he didn’t see and continued with her dinner preparations, humming softly to herself under her breath.

 

_Tim: That’s true. This is a bit strange after all._

_Tim: Anyway, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon._

_Jason: You clearly underestimate me then. How are the parentals?_

_Tim: Still at work. Percy said that they would be home for dinner. I’m waiting to see if they actually come through on that one. If they don’t make it, I probably won’t fault them too much since they were at breakfast this morning._

_Jason: Damn, they actually made it to breakfast. That’s shocking. Percy?_

_Tim: Our butler. He’s been…strangely supportive during this whole process. I clearly misunderstood him despite how distant everyone in this house is._

_Tim: What about you? How’s your mom?_

                Jason looked up and smiled at the image of his mom in the kitchen, making dinner and looking happy.

               

_Jason: She’s alive. And she’s not a drug addict. I think that’s more than I could ever ask for._

                Jason stared at his phone, cocking his head when Tim didn’t respond right away.

                “Is that Tim?”

                Jason looked up to find his mom watching him closely. He nodded his head and peeked through his eyelashes as she returned to her cooking.

               

_Tim: You sound happy._

_Jason: I’m happy. So, so happy._

“I know you want to keep talking to them, but do you mind coming and helping me with this?”

                Jason pushed his chair back. “Of course not! Now, what do I need to do?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

                He flopped back on his bed with his phone after dinner was done and he’d helped wash the dishes, using homework as an excuse to be alone. His mom had given him a look and warned him not to let Tim distract him too much. He promised that he would do his best to stay focused.

                Jason pulled out a book and his glasses, making himself comfortable on his bed with his phone on his stomach. He got through a few pages before he checked his phone to make sure that he hadn’t missed something and sighed when there was nothing there. He thought about the possibility that Tim was with their parents doing dinner or something else, but that was only a temporary comfort. He resigned himself to a quiet night of reading and set his phone on the bedside table since it probably wasn’t going to buzz anytime soon.

                Jason stretched when his alarm went off. He reached over and shut his phone off, pulling it towards himself. He saw a new message from Tim and opened it quickly.

 

_Tim: Morning_

                He grinned and bit his lip typing out a reply. He left his phone on the side of his bed and got up to get changed. He grabbed a pair of his workout clothes and stuffed them into his bag before carrying his backpack and phone out to the kitchen. He was surprised when his mom wasn’t already in the kitchen and spotted a note next to a plate of waffles. He leaned over and read his mom’s explanation that she’d been called in suddenly and to have a good day at school. He shook his head and popped the waffles into the microwave to reheat them.

                Jason left the apartment and hurried down the sidewalk towards his bus, plugging his headphones in on the way. He hopped onto his bus and caught a seat near the back. He watched the buildings pass by as music filled his headphones. Until his phone vibrated that is.

 

_Tim: Shouldn’t_ you _be in school?_

_Jason: I’m on my way. On the bus now at least._

_Tim: My parents aren’t here for breakfast today. Not a big surprise since I didn’t expect it to happen every morning._

_Jason: Did they make it for dinner last night?_

_Tim: They were a little later than they first said, but they made it._

_Jason: Awesome! That’s fantastic._

                The bus rumbled to a stop and he hopped off, holding his phone tightly in his hand as he walked the last block to school.

 

_Tim: I was surprised, but…I’m glad._

_Jason: I’d love to keep this convo going, but I’m at school. I’ll see you later, yeah?_

                Jason paused his music and pulled the earbuds from his ears, shoving the tangle of wires and his phone  into his back pocket. He pushed through the doors to his school and made his way through the halls towards his locker.

                “Hey, Jason!” Roy said, running up behind him and slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Someone’s looking particularly happy for a Thursday.”

                He grinned and elbowed his friend in the stomach. “I have a lot to be happy about.”

                “Oh ho ho. Does this have anything to do with that special someone that you were all dressed up for last week?” he asked, jostling his shoulder.

                Jason rolled his eyes and smirked. “Maybe,” he said, throwing off his arm.

                Roy hurried in front of him and stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking backwards down the hallway as Jason continued forwards, the grin on his face absolutely unrelenting.

                “So it does! Are you going to ask them to the dance on Friday?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

                Jason scoffed. “Yeah right. _I_ don’t even want to go to the dance and I doubt they would.”

                Roy pouted. “Aw come on, man. You could at least ask them to come to the football game with you.”

                Jason rolled his eyes and pushed past his best friend. “I’m pretty sure that a football game isn’t their idea of a spectacularly good time.”

                “You should ask them, Jason. I think that it would be very beneficial for you and them and allow you two to get to know each other better and become closer. Maybe then you could go out on a real date and get some pizza or see a movie,” Kori said, jumping into the conversation after watching the two of them bicker.

                Jason tried to hide his smirk as memories of him and Tim flitted through his mind. He recalled the number of times that they used to spar and how he would always lose his breath whenever Tim was on top of him, holding him down. Then he started thinking of all the times when Tim was underneath him, writhing and gasping from pleasure. They were certainly close and knew each other well during those moments.

                “What are you smirking about?” Roy asked.

                Jason shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. I’ll think about it okay, but I’m not going to make any promises.”

                The trio continued down the hallway and Jason let Roy and Kori drive the conversation. He chimed in when prodded for a response, but his mind was far from the conversation at hand, thinking about a certain someone who he would see after school and who he could text freely now. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he sat down in his first class and discretely pulled it out so as not to alert the teacher.

 

_Tim: Have a good day!_

 

                He bit his lip and let the well-wishes go unanswered. He’d see Tim later as it was and could talk all about his good day with them while they warmed up for their class and afterwards when they had a bit more time.

                As expected, the day had dragged on and on. More than once, he’d pulled his phone back from his pocket to check the message that Tim had sent him that morning, wanting desperately to reply and let them know how he was doing, but he didn’t want to get them in trouble or distract them from school. He just had to keep reminding himself that the day wouldn’t last forever and they’d be together soon enough.

                From the way he was acting, it was almost as though he was seeing a significant other after a long period of time or one who’d he’d just make their relationship official with. Which was kind of true. The most logical way to describe it was having just avoided death by the skin of his teeth and was more than grateful to be alive and have someone else who he thought was dead and would never see again was also alive. It gave a person a very interesting feeling to say the least.

                At lunch Roy had continued to shoot him looks and looked slightly betrayed whenever Kori managed to bring up the issue of the dance and how he was roped into going but Jason was managing to steadfastly ignore it and get the hell out of dodge. Jason thought the whole situation was hilarious and he briefly fixated on the possibility that if he knew Tim would say yes, he probably would’ve asked them to go already.

                As things stood, he didn’t have any hope of getting them to go with them, but as he walked down the street to Bane’s, he couldn’t help but appreciate how far the two of them had come and the steps forward their relationship had taken in the past few days alone. Things were normal and he was happy and Tim was happy. And that’s all that really mattered.

                Jason pushed through the door to the gym and swiped his card, giving the desk attendant a wave and a smile before pushing inside. As he walked over to the locker room he glanced over at the mat and found it blessedly empty, not that he expected the participants in that afternoon’s class to be waiting for him. There was still plenty of time and he knew Tim wasn’t even there yet and he couldn’t exactly start without his co-instructor.

                He set his bag down on one of the available benches and pulled out his workout clothes. He changed quickly and stuffed his things into a locker, making sure to keep his wraps and gloves out before heading back out to the mat. He began going through his stretches and wrapped his hands, humming along to the music that was playing over the speakers. Once his hands were wrapped and he opened and closed his fists to test the fit, he sat down on the mat to continue stretching. He saw a few people take notice of him and suspected that they were probably there for the class. Rolling out his shoulders, he pushed himself to his feet as two women walked over.

                “You’re the instructor for the advanced boxing class, right?” one of them asked.

                Jason flashed a lopsided grin. “One of the instructors,” he corrected. “We still have a bit before the class starts but feel free to take a spot that you like and stretch if you want the extra warmup.”

                The two of them nodded, picking up their conversation and moved to the center of the mat.

                Jason looked over when he saw Tim step up beside him and was startled by the unhappy expression on their face.

                “Hey, Tim,” he said, gently.

                Their eyes flicked over to him and away. “Hey Jason. It’s he/him today.”

                “Okay. Is everything okay?”

                Tim shrugged and opened his mouth to answer before he closed it furrowed his brow, obviously rethinking what he was going to say. “I had a…bad day at school today.”

                Jason nodded his head a little too long before he forced himself to stop. “Well you know what they say, hitting things is the best way to turn your day around.”

                He saw the corner of Tim’s mouth twitch. “Thanks, Jay.”

                Jason smiled at him before turning to the class that was waiting for them to begin, launching into the warmup routine before they would begin the boxing combinations. He felt no qualms with taking over leading the class figuring Tim would like the chance to not have to think during the day and just go through the combinations. He noticed him gradually relax as they went through the lessons and finally seemed to have lost all the tension in his body as they finished the cooldown.

                “Thanks for coming everyone. I hope to see you all at our next session. If any of you have questions feel free to ask myself or Tim.”

                The group murmured their thanks before heading off. Jason turned to look at Tim who had finally cracked a smile for the first time that afternoon. He opened his mouth to say something when his eyes flicked over Jason’s shoulders and he stiffened.

                Jason furrowed his brow and glanced over his shoulder, seeing a teenage boy headed in their direction. He looked back at Tim who was resolutely staring at his feet. “Tim is everything okay-“

                “Well look who it is,” a voice dripping with contempt spoke up behind him.

                Jason turned around and found the boy staring around him at Tim.

                “If it isn’t the little pretender. I thought you liked wearing skirts? Although it looks like the only way to get anyone to talk to you is by wearing tight little clothes to show of your ass.”

                Jason narrowed his eyes and looked back at Tim whose head was bowed, but the red tint to his cheeks was unmistakable. He fisted his hands at his sides and turned back to the boy. “I’d rather not have to have you thrown out of here for disrespecting an employee, but if you don’t shut it, I won’t hesitate to grab the owner.”

                The boy’s gaze jerked over to Jason and his eyes narrowed. “Ohhhh scary. What are you his boyfriend? I bet you hold him down real nice and fuck him. Show him his place and make-“

                Jason didn’t even realize he was moving. Just saw the boy’s head snap back as he fell to the floor. The kid was moaning and clutching at his face, blood dripping visibly down his chin.

                “What’s going on out here?” he looked up to find Bane rushing over to them. He looked between Jason and the boy on the ground. “Jason?” he asked.

                He took a steadying breath and forced his hands to relax. “This kid came up to Tim and was blatantly disrespecting him. I lost my temper when I should’ve come to you and explained the situation. I’m sorry.”

                Bane sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. The two of you go get cleaned up and grab your things. I’m going to take care of this kid. When you’re done, come to my office.”

                Jason nodded. Bane looked over him once more before reaching down and hauling the kid to his feet to take to his office. Jason ran a hand through his hair and turned around to find Tim staring up at him, eyes wide and lips parted.

                “Tim? Is everything okay?” he asked, uneasy.

                Tim closed his mouth and swallowed. He hesitated a moment before launching himself at Jason and wrapping his arms around him tightly. “Thanks, Jason.” The sound was muffled by his shirt, but Jason smiled, squeezing Tim back.

                “Anytime. Now, do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

                Tim sagged against him and nodded. He pulled away and grabbed Jason’s hand, leading him back to the locker room. He sat down on a bench and pulled Jason down next to him, still holding tightly to his hand. Jason had to fight himself to pay attention to what Tim was saying rather than the warmth that was enveloping his palm and fingers where their skin touched.

                “That kid goes to my school. He was the reason why today was a bad day for me. It wasn’t too bad right after I came out to the whole school-I think everyone was in shock honestly-but soon after, he started coming after me and saying things about my gender. I want to fight him back, but I don’t want to get kicked out of school. I know everyone would love that. And I’m hesitant to go to the administration because I don’t know if they’ll actually do anything about it.”

                Tim sniffled and Jason could see the first few tears slide down his cheeks. He tried to pull his hand away, but Jason only gripped it more tightly, not willing to let him go. He looked up, startled and Jason cupped his cheek with his other hand, using his thumb to wipe away the tears.

                “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Tim.” He sighed and wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders, pulling him close. Tim was hesitant at first, but let himself relax enough to grip tightly to Jason as the tears silently slid down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated!!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have finally managed to settle down a bit here at Uni. Scotland is amazing and I'm loving it so much. These next five months are going to be fantastic. I'm also not used to the amount of free time that I have which is part of the reason this chapter is getting posted a wee bit earlier. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you're ready for more of these lovable dorks. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason reluctantly let his arms fall away as Tim moved out of his embrace. He rubbed at the tear tracks on his cheeks and sniffled a few times before clearing his throat.

                “We should probably get changed. Bane’ll be expecting us,” he said, getting up from the bench and turning to look for his locker.

                “Right…” Jason turned and pulled his own locker open slowly, wanting to put off the meeting as long as possible. He pulled out his change of clothes and ID card and headed towards one of the changing stalls. He shut the door behind him and leaned back against it heavily, letting his eyes fall shut. He suddenly felt the weight of the years that he’s already lived. The things that he experienced in his other life and the pessimism that had developed rearing its ugly head after being quiet for so long.

                He breathed in and out carefully and began to go about getting undressed. The urge to punch something was back with a vengeance, but he’d already punched someone that day and he didn’t need to get into any more trouble. Maybe if he still actually had a job after this, he could spend a little more time at the heavy bag and really work out his anger. And when that was done…he just wanted to hold Tim and protect him from all of the idiots and horrible people that caused problems. Jason had the urge to keep him locked away, hidden from everyone wanting to do him harm. But that would only lead to more problems.

                Shaking his head, he pulled the door open roughly and walked back towards the rows of lockers, freezing when he looked up and saw Tim sitting on the bench, hands fisted in his lap and bag at his feet. Jason forced himself to relax and take a few careful breaths before letting himself walk closer. He packed up his things slowly, trying his best to exude a sense of calm that everything was okay and that Tim would be okay.

                “Ready?” he asked, slipping his backpack on.

                Tim looked up at him, the worry clear in his eyes and nodded. He stood and slipped his arms through the straps of his own backpack. Jason eyed him up and down before turning on his heel. He only managed to make it one step before a hand grabbed ahold of his and stopped him in his tracks. He turned and looked down at Tim who was watching him nervously. He smiled and nodded, giving Tim’s hand a gentle squeeze before leading him out of the locker room and across the floor towards the offices.

                The door to Bane’s office had been left open and Jason could see him nearly slumped over his desk, head in his hands. He cleared his throat and stepped inside. Bane looked up and Jason could see just how tired he looked and how old he was.

                “Have a seat, Jason.” Bane’s eyes widened when he caught sight of Tim standing behind him. “Uh…Tim you can have a seat, too. Since this does have to do with you as well.”

                Jason let Tim’s hand go as the two of them took the chairs in front of his desk.

                “I looked over the security tapes to get a better judge of the situation. Unfortunately because of the size of the gym and their location, there’s no audio, but I did see that he approached you two and that Tim had visibly reacted to his presence. Regardless of that fact and as much as I hate to do this, I’m going to have to reprimand you in some way, Jason.”

                Jason bowed his head. “I understand.”

                “I’m going to suspend you for the next week. That includes both from work and from the premises. The desk attendants will know that you aren’t allowed inside and the card scanner won’t recognize your card. Please refrain from lashing out again. If you do, I’ll be forced to fire you.”

                Jason felt relieved that his punishment was so light. He knew that the kid who’d come after Tim probably wouldn’t be happy about it and neither would his parents, but he wasn’t fired. Only a week away from this place. “Is that all?”

                Bane looked at him, eyes roving over his face. He sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Get out of here. Don’t let me see you for a week.”

                Jason grabbed his backpack and pushed himself from the chair. He was aware of Tim watching him as he walked out the door and across the floor of the gym to the exit. He felt bad that he was leaving Tim to conduct their classes on his own, but at least he wasn’t fired. He just needed to keep telling himself that and maybe then the bitter taste of having to leave Tim alone would diminish.

                “Jason!”

                He whipped around as Tim burst through the door and hurried towards him.

                “Tim? What is it? What’s wrong?”

                “It’s just…I’m…I’m sorry…about your job. That you’re suspended, I mean.”

                Jason shook his head. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. At least I’m not fired. That’s at least some consolation.”

                “Look…do you want to…I mean…” Tim huffed a breath, obviously frustrated that he wasn’t able to get his words out. “Do you want to come over? To my house? Now?” He groaned and buried his face in his hands. “You know what? Never mind. I’m just going to go and jump off a bridge.”

                Jason laughed. “Yes.”

                “Is that a yes to what I asked? Or a yes to jumping off the bridge? Or are you wanting to jump off a bridge with me?”

                He reached out and pulled Tim’s hands from his face. “It is a yes to doing anything with you. Whether that includes jumping off bridges or walking over bridges or swinging from bridges. But we can limit the death-defying stunts for the day and watch a movie or something instead.”

                Tim smiled shyly and if that didn’t just do Jason in right then and there. Jason cleared his throat and shifted nervously.

                “Okay. Where to?”

                “Right. This way,” Tim said, turning and taking hold of one of Jason’s hands. He led him down the sidewalk in the opposite direction that Jason would go in to catch the bus. Not that that was surprising considering the wealthier part of town was this way. He took a minute to look over Tim as he was pulled along. He seemed to be in a better mood, much to Jason’s relief. He didn’t want him brooding over his classmate’s words from earlier and wished that he could do something about how he was treated at school.

                Letting a smile slip onto his face, he quickened his pace just slightly so that he caught up to Tim’s side and was walking next to him rather than behind him. He felt Tim’s eyes on him, but refused to look at him, content with letting their hands hang loosely intertwined between them.

                If Jason hadn’t had experience in Wayne Manor in his past life then he would’ve been wholly unprepared for what greeted him at Drake Manor. It wasn’t as large as Bruce’s, but it was still a pretty impressive size. The front door was pulled open as they started walking up the steps and Tim hastily let go of his hand, but Jason still caught the knowing smile that the butler wore.

                “Master Timothy and…?” he greeted.

                “Jason. Jason Todd.”

                “And Master Jason,” he repeated, allowing them to walk through the doorway.

                “Thank you, Percy,” Tim said, making a bee-line for the stairs. Jason waved politely at the butler and followed after Tim, looking around at the high ceilings and sparse decorations as they passed by the large sitting room and made their way up the stairs. The Manor wasn’t as dark or gritty as Bruce’s had been, but it wasn’t the most welcoming environment for someone to be in on their own. Tim walked through the hallways quickly and pushed through a doorway far ahead of where Jason was taking his time to move down the carpet.

                After a few seconds he stuck his head back through the doorway and furrowed his brow at Jason. “What’s taking you so long?”

                Jason shrugged as he approached. “Just getting a look around. I’ve never been to your house.”

                Tim opened his mouth to object and Jason knew that he _was_ going to object. It was true that they’d lived together underneath the nightclub that Tim had run, but he’d never been to his house. _The_ house.

                “Oh,” he said instead. Tim reached out and pulled Jason through the doorway, shutting it behind them.

                “It’s cleaner than I thought it would be,” he remarked.

                “Hey!” Tim objected, crossing his arms and pouting in the most adorable way. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very neat person.”

                Jason grinned. “Somehow, I find that a little hard to believe,” he said, chuckling. He pulled his backpack off and set it down next to the bed before taking a seat on the floor. “Now, what is it you wanted to do?”

                Tim shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, honestly. Want to watch a movie?”

                “Sure. What’ve you got?”

                He waved at a bookshelf that was positioned next to his bed and Jason immediately spotted the shelves that were filled with DVD cases. He turned around and leaned closer to get a better look at the various titles that were filed alphabetically.

                “You have the entire _Star Wars_ collection, _Lord of the Rings_ collection, and _Harry Potter_?” Jason asked, incredulously.

                “Yeah well…you’re going to have to pick one in there. We don’t have enough time to watch all of those right now. Or even today.”

                Jason laughed and pulled down the third HP film. “I guess we can go with this one then.”

                Tim took the case from his hand and moved over to the DVD player set up below a huge flatscreen, because of course he would have one of those, and loaded the disk. “Why the third one?” he asked, picking up two remotes and dimming the lights before sitting down on the floor like Jason and making himself comfortable.

                “Remus Lupin.”

                Tim nodded as he fiddled with the various remotes. “That makes sense. He is one of the most well-written characters of the books.”

                “Have you even read the books?”

                “Wouldn’t have made the comment if I hadn’t.”

                “I don’t know about that…”

                Tim scowled at him. “Hey, just because I don’t always have my nose in a paperback like someone, doesn’t mean I don’t read.”

                “Could’ve fooled me.”

                “Hey-“   
                “Shh, the movie’s starting.”

                Jason bit his lip to stop himself from outright grinning. What he could see of Tim’s expression out of the corner of his eye was adorably affronted. He knew that Tim wasn’t used to being teased or cut off so easily, but this was something that he could enjoy. It was taking his mind of what had happened earlier in any case.

                “Whatever,” he grumbled and settled back against the bed as the camera panned down Privet Drive.

                Tim had his knees pulled against his chest and was biting his thumbnail as Harry and Hermione were chased through the Forbidden Forest. Jason knew that he should’ve been paying more attention since he was the one who’d picked out the movie, but he couldn’t get over how engrossed Tim had become in the film, especially since it was one that the both of them had seen before. They knew the outcome, but there was just something about watching it again that brought back the excitement and rush of emotions.

                A knock on the door pulled them both from their deep focus, Tim a little more abruptly than Jason. Tim reached for the remote and paused the film.

                “Come in,” he called.

                The door opened to reveal Percy standing there. “If the young Masters are hungry, dinner has been prepared and is waiting in the dining room.”

                “Thank you, Percy,” Tim said.

                The butler bowed slightly and left the door ajar as he walked back down the hallway.

                “Let’s go then,” Tim said, pushing himself to his feet.

                “To dinner? You want me to stay for dinner?” Jason asked.

                “I’m not exactly going to kick you out of my house when there’s a perfectly good meal waiting and no one else to eat it. I’m sure my parents aren’t home yet and we still have to finish the movie. Don’t you want to find out what happens to Sirius?” he asked with a wry grin.

                Jason rolled his eyes and stood. “Ha ha. We both know what happens at the end of the film.”

                “So no objections then,” he said walking through his bedroom door and leaving Jason standing in the middle of the room.

                Slowly, and almost in a daze, Jason followed after Tim. He was slightly worried that he wouldn’t be able to navigate the hallways to the dining room without Tim, but found him waiting for him at the top of the stairs. Tim rolled his eyes at him and started down the staircase.

                The dining room was about as spacious and wide as Jason would’ve expected based on the rest of the house. There were two place settings arranged on the table across from each other and several dishes between them piled with food. Jason sat down slowly, looking over everything that was in front of him. He didn’t know how they were expected to eat all of this. Jason did have a pretty decent appetite, but even this was pushing it and Tim looked like he wouldn’t even last past one plate.

                “If you’re worried about the amount of food, Percy usually saves the leftovers and I’ll take them for lunch during the week or have them for dinner if no one cooks. There’s very little food waste, but if you want, we could box some of it up and you could take it home to your mom,” Tim explained quietly.

                The explanation helped Jason relaxed, not even having noticed the amount of stress that was building just from the prospect of being faced with so much. “Yeah, she’d really like that actually. It’d be a great surprise for when she got home from work since she has a later shift tonight.”

                “Shouldn’t you have told her that you were coming over?” Tim asked, placing a slice of chicken on his plate before reaching for the carrots.

                “Nah, she probably wouldn’t have seen a text in any case and she trusts me to know what I’m doing. If anything, she would’ve just assumed that I went to the library or was doing something with Roy and Kori at the last minute.”

                “Oh.”

                “Do…do you have any friends? At school or out of school?” Jason asked.

                “Not really. I was never very good at making friends and there’s an even less chance of me connecting with people now that I’ve pretty much pissed off the entire school with how different I am.”

                Jason shrugged. “You never know. Maybe once the initial shock dies down, there will be a lot of people or are inspired by what you did and want to get to know you. You could start an LGBTQ society and a support network for other people who might need it.”

                Tim’s hand froze over the bowl of dinner rolls. “That’s…actually a pretty decent idea.”

                “Yeah?” Jason asked, grin pulling at the sides of his mouth.

                “Yeah. I could help other people who might not be ready to face the world like I have. It could get a little tricky trying to keep out people who don’t mean well, though.”

                “You could always hold meetings off of school grounds and to know what the location is or whatever, they have to email you. From there do a little bit of background checking on their social media to see what sorts of things they post and if they speak out against any groups or the community. If you want, you could even go so far as to screen each person individually to make sure they don’t have any ill intentions.”

                “That’s really brilliant. How’d you think of that?”

                Jason shrugged as he chewed a bite of his food. “I just thought of it. Makes sense at least.”

                “Yeah. Yeah it does. Does your school have an LGBTQ group?”

                “I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t really have an interest in joining. I don’t think it would really benefit me in any way at least.”

                “And a book club would?” Tim asked, grinning.

                “Hey,” Jason said, pointing his fork at Tim. “Reading is a perfectly suitable pastime.”

                “I’m sure, I’m sure,” he said, holding up his hands defensively.

                “Are you going to the football game on Saturday?” Jason asked, reaching for another roll.

                Tim’s brow furrowed. “Football game?”

                “Yeah. Our schools are playing each other. It’s homecoming for us, so I guess it’s a big deal. Not that I particularly care about the whole dance and all the activities. I didn’t know if you were going though.”

                “I didn’t even know about it, honestly,” Tim answered, clearly distracted. “Are you going?”

                “I’m not sure. I’ll probably end up being dragged along by Kori so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be there,” Jason answered before turning to focus in on his food.

                Tim hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything else.  

                The rest of their dinner passed quietly. Jason was a little worried if he’d said something wrong because of how quiet Tim was being. His unusual manner carried through the rest of the movie as well, making the situation slightly awkward, but not wholly uncomfortable. Jason left just as it was starting to get dark with several containers of food and a promise to text Tim later since he wouldn’t see him at the gym for the next week.

                The walk back home was pleasant, even if it did leave him with a sense of discomfort over how he and Tim had parted. He let the sounds of the city become muted around him as he focused on his own thoughts, for once taking the time to look around himself and absorb just what he walked past each day even while his mind was buzzing with thoughts of Tim.

                Jason pushed through his apartment door and was met with darkness. He flipped the light on and noticed that his mom’s coat was still gone which meant he hadn’t missed her at least. He left his shoes near the door and carried the bag of food into the kitchen, slipping it into the fridge and scrawling out a note to leave on the counter before dragging himself back to his bedroom. He left his backpack on his desk chair and let himself fall face first onto his comforter, letting out a groan at how much better it felt. Not bothering to push himself underneath the covers, he pulled himself up his bed to let his head rest on his pillow and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody!!! Hope you're excited for a new chapter!!! I think that we might be getting close to the end of this fic and there might only be a couple of chapters left. (I'll know more after the next one.) 
> 
> But for now...enjoy an update! I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope that you're excited for it. :D
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason sighed as his alarm went off. He stared up at the ceiling and listened as the cheery melody began to repeat itself. He reached over and pulled his phone over to himself, silencing the irritating sound. It was far too happy for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Tim that afternoon. The next week was going to be hell. They’d just started getting along again and now he was going to be all alone. For a week. God this sucked.

                Reluctantly, he pushed himself from the bed and slowly made his way around his bedroom, pulling off his pajamas and pulling on his clothes for the day. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his phone, trudging down the hallway and to the kitchen where his mom was already hard at work making breakfast.

                “Morning, honey!” she greeted cheerfully.

                Jason took one look at her and saw the bags under her eyes, hair and uniform in slight disarray.

                “Mom, have you even gone to bed yet?” he asked, letting his bag fall to his feet.

                She sighed and carried to plates over to the table, sitting down heavily in her own chair as Jason moved over to the cabinet to grab a glass and fill it with juice.

                “Sadly, no. I was about to fall into bed when I noticed that you’d be getting up in a few minutes anyway so I thought there was no harm in making breakfast before I crash.”

                “I thought you didn’t have an overnight shift yesterday?”

                “I didn’t, but one of the other nurses had an emergency and they needed someone to stay and I was there and available. They gave me time and a half so it’ll help with the paycheck and I don’t have to work again until tomorrow morning, giving me plenty of time to catch up on sleep.”

                “Okay,” Jason said, feeling doubtful. “If you get hungry, there are some leftovers in the fridge from one of my friends. It’s some pretty good food and it means not having to cook so that’s a plus.”

                His mom gave him a tired and obviously grateful smile. “That sounds wonderful, but you didn’t have to bring that back for me.”

                He shrugged. “They insisted.”

                Silence fell between the two of them as they continued to eat breakfast. The warm food helped to wake Jason up and made him feel better about not being able to see Tim that afternoon. Or for the next week at that, unless Tim decided to reach out for him. He was conflicted between wanting to text them and reach out himself, but they’d seemed troubled the night before and he wasn’t sure if it was something that he’d done or not. He wanted to give Tim space, but he also wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling. He wanted to become an important aspect of their life again and be able to have those conversations that had meant so much to him before.

                Jason blinked down at his now-empty place, unsure of when he’d finished all of his food. Doing his best to shake himself from the daze that he’d so easily fallen into, he picked his plate up and carried it to the sink, reaching for the dish soap to clean it up.

                “Jason you don’t need to do the dishes. Head off to school, I can take care of those,” his mom spoke up from behind him.

                He glanced over at the clock. “I have time. And it’s only two plates so it shouldn’t take too long,” he said, pulling the other one from his mom’s hands and setting it in the sink as he turned on the tap. “You should go to sleep. You look exhausted and I’d rather know that you’re safe in bed before I leave than struggling to keep your eyes open.”

                She gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair. “What did I ever to do deserve a son as wonderful as you?” she murmured as she walked out of the kitchen and towards her bedroom.

                Jason felt his chest tighten at the words. “It’s far too early to be experiencing these kinds of emotions,” he huffed, renewing his scrubbing with added fervor and refusing to think about how his mom didn’t know how much those words really impacted him.

                He finished the dishes and left them to dry in the rack as he headed out the door to his usual bus. As he put his headphones in and selected his playlist for the day, phone buzzing in his hand just as the first song started to play. He opened the new message and couldn’t contain the grin that pulled at his lips.

 

_Tim: On a scale of 1 to Hulk, how mad do you think Bane would get at me for taking the next week off?_

_Jason: I think you might be getting pretty close to Hulk on that one. He might not Hulk out at you, but he would definitely be disappointed._

_Jason: He was already pretty mad about losing me, but I think he’d like to have at least one instructor now that he’s getting his new set of classes off the ground._

_Tim: Ugh, you’re probably right. Guess I can’t get out of this one._

_Jason: Any particular reason why you don’t want to handle the classes yourself?_

_Tim: Because it’s going to suck. You’re better with people thank I am…_

_Jason: That all? Doesn’t make me feel very important :(_

_Tim: Well…_

_Jason: You’re worried about a repeat of what just happened yesterday aren’t you?_  
  


_Tim: Yeah…_

_Tim: Is that bad? I know a lot of people at the gym are pretty accepting, mainly because that’s how Bane designed it, but I can’t help but wonder…_

_Tim: It’s just all of these what ifs going through my head. I just want them to stop._

_Jason: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. Now we both have to suffer through the next week._

                Jason stumbled a bit as the bus came to a stop and he looked up, shocked that they were already where he needed to get off. He shouldered his bag and quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, hurrying out the doors and down the street to his school. He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out, checking the time and ignoring Tim’s message for the moment. He was going to cut it close, but Jason knew that he could make it.

                He burst through the double doors and hurried down the nearly deserted hall that only held the last stragglers. He ignored his locker, knowing he didn’t have time to stop and already had his things for his first class anyway. He picked up his pace, cutting close corners and nearly skidded through the door to his first class just as the bell rang.

                “Cutting it rather close there, Mr. Todd. Please take your seat.”

                Jason grinned and trudged down the aisle to his seat, still struggling to catch his breath. He nearly collapsed into it and placed a hand over his stomach. He hadn’t felt this out of shape in years and it strangely wasn’t entirely unwelcome. He pulled out his things for the class and sat back as his teacher’s voice began to fill the room.

                He sat down heavily at lunch and quickly unwrapped the burger that he’d gotten. He’d just taken his first bite when Roy and Kori joined him with their own food trays. Kori looked incredibly pleased with herself and Roy just looked like he wanted to get the hell out of school.

                “What’s up with you two?” Jason asked around his mouthful of food.

                Roy groaned and let his forehead hit the table in front of him.

                “Roy has agreed to come with me to the football game tomorrow night. I am sure that it is going to be really fun! You are coming, too? Aren’t you Jason?” she asked hopefully.

                Jason shrugged. “Yeah. I was already thinking about going anyway so why not.”

                “You were actually wanting to go to the game?!” Roy exclaimed, still not lifting his head from the table. “Who are you and what have you done to my best friend?”

                “Quit being such a drama queen. It’s just a football game, jeez.”

                Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair, finally picking up the slice of pizza that he’d gotten. “I don’t understand the barbaric practice of football at all. What’s so entertaining about it anyway?”

                “Just track down a cute girl and you’ll be fine,” Jason said, waving him off.

                He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath and turned his eyes down to his tray as he shoved more pizza into his mouth.

                Jason just rolled his eyes at his friend and gave Kori a knowing look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, happy to just be doing something. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, keeping it discretely out of sight underneath the table. Faculty usually didn’t venture this far into the cafeteria and they were much more relaxed about using phones during lunch, but his luck had already been pretty shitty the day before and he wasn’t about to take any chances.

 

_Tim: You were just helping me out. There’s nothing to apologize for._

_Tim: Why is it that Fridays always seem to drag on forever?_

_Jason: Because we’re so close to freedom that we have to be tortured even more before we get it._

_Tim: Not only that, but my school decided to throw a stupid pep rally in support of the game tomorrow. Kill me now. The thought of sitting in the gym while the faculty prattle on about the jocks makes me want to vomit._

_Jason: So skip_

_Tim: …_

_Tim: What time do you get out of class?_

_Jason: 2:25. Why?????_

_Tim: You should skip with me._

                “What the fuck?” Jason muttered under his breath, brow furrowing in confusion.

                “Everything okay over there?” Roy asked.

                “Yeah, fine,” he answered, distracted as he slowly typed out a reply.

 

_Jason: I can’t just ditch class._

_Tim: But, Jasoooooonnnnnn_

_Tim: It’s Friday. Live your life on the edge a bit. Nothing interesting is probably going to happen in your last class._

_Jason: I can’t just leave school._

_Tim: Fine…_

_Tim: I guess I can just go to Bane’s alone and chill there until the class this afternoon._

_Jason: Maybe next time…._

_Tim: Really?!_

_Jason: Maybe._

                Jason hastily put his phone away and looked around to make sure that no one had seen him with it. He hunched his shoulders over the table and returned to his food, hoping that no one would say anything.

                “What was that?” Roy asked.

                “Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Jason said, knowing he sounded far more defensive than he needed to be.

                “You’re texting your crush, aren’t you?” he asked, eyes lighting up with glee and delight.

                “None of your business, Roy,” he hissed.

                “Oh my God, you are! Who is it?” he asked, looking around the cafeteria. “Do they go here? Do I know them?”

                “They don’t go here so stop it.”

                “Well what did they want then?” he asked, turning back to face Jason who buried his face in his hands.

                “They wanted me to skip my last class to meet up.”

                “What?!” Roy screeched.

                Jason glared up at him.

                “And you aren’t going? Why the fuck not, man? You know things are serious when they ask you to skip class. That means they want to do stuff. Dude, you’re totally missing out.”

                He rolled his eyes. “Trust me. Nothing would’ve happened. They just didn’t want to be alone.”

                “And you’re still staying here because?”

                Thankfully, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang much to Jason’s relief.

                “We’ll finish this later,” Roy vowed.

                Jason just shook his head and picked up his tray to take over to the return. He gripped the straps of his backpack as he headed out of the cafeteria, intent on avoiding Roy for the rest of the day.

                The end of the day came slowly and his last class had crawled by. Tim had texted him again telling him that he could still skip and come with him to spend the afternoon around Gotham. He’d refused again. He’d wanted to go, but knew that he would probably end up feeling that much worse when Tim had to go off to work and he was left to a lonely bus ride back home.

                Jason moved quietly through the apartment and fell heavily onto his mattress, letting his backpack fall to the floor next to his bed. He reached over and grabbed his pillow, pulling it underneath his head and banging his forehead against it a couple of times to make a suitable indent for himself.

                “Tough day?”

                He rolled over and looked at his mom who was standing in the doorway, looking far more refreshed than she had that morning. “Just long and tiring, that’s all.”

                “At least it’s Friday,” she said, walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge next to his torso. “You can relax and sleep in tomorrow.” She reached over and started running her fingers through Jason’s hair. “That food your friend let you bring back was delicious. I really appreciated it.”

                “Yeah. It was pretty good.”

                “There’s enough left over for dinner tonight so I hope that you’re ready for round two.”

                “Sounds great, Mom,” he said shutting his eyes

                “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she said, patting his shoulder. “Go read a book or something.”

                Jason laughed. “Yeah, okay.”

                “I’ll pop in and get you when it’s time for dinner,” she said, walking out and shutting the door behind her.

                Jason watched the door for a minute after it was closed and toed off his shoes that were still on his feet, letting them fall to the floor with a muffled thud. He pushed himself into a sitting position and pulled off his jacket, throwing that over to his desk chair and ultimately missing its target and falling to the floor instead. He leaned over the edge of the bed and rifled through his backpack, pulling out the half-finished novel that he’d been working his way through. He readjusted his pillow and opened to his marked page, leaving himself to read.

                He furrowed his brow at the sound of soft knocking.

                “Jason? Dinner’s ready.”

                He blinked his eyes opened and looked to find his mom pushing the door open. He rubbed a hand over his face and looked over to where his book had been pushed aside when he’d fallen asleep. He didn’t even remember falling asleep honestly.

                “Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s eat and then you can go back to bed,” she said, pulling him up.

                Jason covered his mouth as he made to yawn and followed his mom back to the kitchen. “I didn’t even realize I was that tired.”

                She patted his shoulder and sat him down in front of a full plate of food before taking her own seat. Jason thought that he was probably eating while half-asleep but he couldn’t be bothered to care. The food was warm and tasted delicious. He’d have to try and take more leftovers from Tim more often. That would also mean that he would have to see Tim more often and he was most certainly not against that idea.

                Before he even had time to try and take the dishes over to the sink, his mom was picking up everything on the table and giving him a look that quelled an arguments or protests that he might have.

                “I can do the dishes. I’ve had all day to sleep. Now it’s your turn.”

                Jason wanted to protest. He really did, but the thought of crawling back into his warm bed won out and forced the words to die on his tongue. He simply nodded and sluggishly pushed his chair back before heading back to his bed. He slipped underneath his comforter this time, sighing in contentment and reached down to his backpack for his phone. He was surprised that Tim had texted him yet again.

 

_Tim: You better not do anything to piss Bane off again. Leading classes alone absolutely sucks._

                He smiled. He knew that he should feel bad on some level and he actually did, but he couldn’t help but be pleased that Tim wanted him there and missed him. It was definitely an improvement over where they’d been before and he was happy that they’d come this far.

 

_Jason: I wouldn’t say that I necessarily pissed him off, he just had to do something to show that he wouldn’t tolerate that type of behavior. You know that that kid’s parents are going to complain and he had to prove that he did something about it._

_Jason: I’ll be back before you know it, I promise._

_Tim: Fine._

                Jason could almost hear how Tim would’ve sounded saying that to him out loud. Could almost imagine the cute pout that their lips would’ve formed and how they would’ve crossed their arms.

 

_Jason: It’s okay to tell me that you miss me._

_Tim: I don’t miss you. I simply don’t want to have to do both your job and my job together. We were supposed to be leading these classes together._

_Jason: Admit it, you miss me._

_Tim: Did you not read what I just wrote?_

                Jason chuckled as his eyes grew heavy. He felt warm, almost too warm from his heavy blanket and from the emotions and happiness swelling in his chest and how evasive Tim was being about something that Jason was obviously right about.

 

_Tim: Fine. I miss you. But only a little bit._

_Jason: Was that so hard?_

_Tim: Now get your ass back to work fast so I don’t have to deal with so many people by myself._

_Jason: Okay_

                Jason set his phone aside and pulled his comforter around him more tightly. He felt giddy. Almost too happy. He almost thought that his happiness was going to completely overwhelm him and that he’d drown in it. It would be the perfect way to die in his opinion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason sighed as his eyes fluttered open. He felt refreshed after his long night’s sleep and when he checked the time he realized why. He’d somehow managed to sleep in past ten in the morning despite going to bed pretty early the night before as well. He didn’t have any new messages from Tim from las night either and he was glad that he hadn’t just randomly disappeared if they had texted him back.

                He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling as light filtered through his curtains. He knew that the sun was high in the sky and the day had already gotten into full swing, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care or feel like he was missing out. It was nice to have time to relax. Granted, it would also be nice if he could be at the gym and leading a group sparring session with Tim, but that would have to wait until next week when he wasn’t on suspension. He was looking forward to getting back on the mat with them in any case.

                He finally pushed himself out of bed and headed into the bathroom, listening for any sounds that might be coming from the rest of the apartment. His mouth felt disgusting and he really felt like he needed a shower so as he let the water heat up, he took the time to give his teeth a good brushing. Once he finished, he stripped out of the clothes that he’d slept in and stepped into the shower, letting the hot spray envelop him and help him get his brain in gear.

                He was much more alert and awake once he was finished with his shower and he threw on a shirt and pair of sweats. The ends of his hair dripped as he walked into the kitchen and found a plate of food with a note next to it from his mom.

 

_Morning, sweetie!_

_Pop this in the microwave once you wake up and are ready for breakfast. I won’t be back to see you before the football game tonight, but have fun and enjoy yourself. Try not to stay out too late with your friends. I know how much fun the three of you can have._

_Love, Mom._

                He smiled and set the note to the side before pulling the plastic wrap off of the plate and sticking it in the microwave to heat up. He briefly wondered when his mom had to be up to go to work and hoped that it wasn’t too early despite the day off she had the day before. Knowing that it wasn’t worth worrying over at the moment, he pulled his food from the microwave when it was done and carried it into the living room to take a seat on the couch. He flipped on the T.V. and sat back to enjoy his food and try to find something decent to watch that wasn’t the news since he didn’t feel like getting depressed over the current state of the world.

                Soon enough, Jason’s empty plate was sitting on the coffee table and he was sprawled out over the couch, T.V. off and book in hand. He had all day to enjoy himself and could think of no better (or cheaper) way to spend it than by doing something he enjoyed: reading.

                It was late afternoon before he could be pulled away from the story that he was reading and that was only because of the insistent texts that he kept getting from Roy making sure that he was still going to the game since he really didn’t want to have to suffer through it with Kori alone. Jason just rolled his eyes and texted back that he was in fact going to the game and he would see him there. They talked about plans for after the game and Jason said that he was totally fine with going out for pizza and milkshakes if it wasn’t too late and the diner wasn’t too crazy with the post-game crowd.

                He groaned when he finally had to pull himself off of the couch and put something socially acceptable on before heading out. He briefly wondered how Tim had done that morning and found it curious that they hadn’t texted him all day. Granted, Jason hadn’t texted them either, but after their conversation yesterday, he would’ve thought that it would’ve been natural to see how things were going. He thought about texting them after the game and would just see how he was feeling if it wasn’t too late. He hoped that Tim would still be up then and willing to talk to him. Maybe he could even invite them out to the diner with him and Roy and Kori. Although he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for the barrage of questions or looks that he would no doubt receive from his friends over the appearance of a new face in their group. Especially when Roy was already suspicious enough and would have no qualms about mercilessly teasing him if he knew the extent of his feelings towards Tim.

                Jason made sure to grab his wallet and his leather jacket to keep warm. Winter wasn’t quite on Gotham yet, but he was sure that it would probably get pretty chilly when the Sun went down and he didn’t know how long he’d be out at the football field anyway. He sent a text off to Roy that he was leaving and would meet him at the football field and to make sure to bring his student card so that they could get in for free. He didn’t care enough for football that he’d actually pay to see it. At least not at the high school level.

                The bus was busier than he was expecting, but he was grateful that he still had plenty of room to stand among the other travelers. Most of them were students like himself and were chatting animatedly to each other about the coming game. He even saw a group of girls doing face paint of their school’s colors and team and was amazed that it hadn’t gotten smudged all over their faces from the bumpy ride through the city. Buses weren’t exactly the smoothest thing to be doing make-up on, especially if you wanted it to look good, but he supposed that was just the type of superhuman skill and fearlessness girls had when it came to that.

                Jason waited for the large crowds to get off the bus first since they were all in a far bigger hurry than he was and took his time following after them in the direction of the field. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked along and grinned when he caught sight of Roy’s signature baseball hat above the other heads in the crowd. It wasn’t long before his friends caught sight of him and waved their hands over their heads which he waved back to.

                “Nice of you to join us,” Roy said, punching him lightly on the arm.

                “It’s not like the game’s started or anything,” Jason shot back, rolling his eyes.

                Roy smirked. “It might not have started, but someone was getting a little antsy waiting on you.”

                Jason looked between the two of them confused. Neither of his friends seemed particularly put out by his lack of arrival.

                “Not us, you jackass,” Roy said rolling his eyes.

                “Then who?”

                Kori smiled and pointed behind him. He turned and his mouth immediately fell open as his eyes widened. Standing behind him, and looking equal parts shy and embarrassed, was Tim. They had on a beautiful blue, floral print dress and a white sweater with tights. They fidgeted, eyes flitting to and from Jason’s face as he looked over them.

                “Hi,” they said, biting their lip.

                “Tim,” Jason croaked and cleared his throat. “Uh…pronouns?”

                “She/her,” she said.

                “We will just leave you two alone, then,” Kori broke in pulling Roy towards the gate. “We will make sure to save the two of you seats.”

                “I didn’t know you were coming to the game,” he said, brushings off his friends’ exit.

                She smiled and ducked her head. “I wasn’t entirely sure that I was coming either.”

                “You could’ve texted me and I would’ve been here earlier to meet you.”

                “I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said, cheeks tinging pink.

                Jason’s heart picked up at her statement and he swallowed thickly. “Shall we go in then?” he asked, holding out his elbow and smiling crookedly to hide the feelings that were at war within him.

                Tim giggled and took his elbow following him towards the gates. As they waited in line, she took out the necessary bills to pay entrance to the game.

                “How was work today?” Jason asked, grasping for something to break the silence between them.

                “It was okay. I didn’t have to do much besides oversee the sparring between the people who showed up. It would’ve been better if someone hadn’t gotten suspended for the week so that I could’ve at least had some practice like everyone else.”

                Jason groaned. “How many times do I have to say that I’m sorry?” he asked.

                Tim hummed. “I don’t think it’s been enough yet. You could do with a few more. Bane’s pissed though. Every day he’s always grumbling about wishing that the week was over already so that he could have both of us together again.”

                She passed her money to the ticket stand and got her stamp on her hand and Jason got the same after flashing his student card. He could already see the crowds in the stands despite the large groups that were still milling around. The pep band was well into the beginning of their pre-game routine working to add some, well, _pep_ to the crowd, most of which everyone was ignoring in favor of socializing with their friends or grabbing food from the concessions stand.

                “Did you want something to eat?” Jason asked as they wove their way through the crowd.

                “Maybe later,” she answered. “Besides, it looks like your friends are pretty eager for us to join them.”

                He looked to where she was pointing and nearly groaned. Kori was waving animatedly at them while Roy tried to fend off a pair of people from taking the seats that they’d been working to save. Sighing, he grabbed Tim’s hand and pulled her through the crowd towards where they were sitting.

                “Nice of you to join us,” Roy grouched, crossing his arms and turning to face the field.

                “You didn’t have to save seats for us,” Jason threw back, sitting down, but not letting go of Tim’s hand.

                “Oh yes I did. If I hadn’t, who knows what the two of you would’ve gotten up to and I sure as hell don’t want to have to suffer through this alone.”

                Jason gave his friend an amused look and shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

                The sound of the school song starting drew everyone’s attention to the field. Jason sat back as the cheerleaders welcomed their team back out and ignored the cheers that arose from the other students around them. The students who were still milling around grabbed their friends and hurried to find seats that were still available, most of them having to go up to the higher sections of the school’s bleachers where the last spaces were.

Tim still hadn’t let go of his hand.

The last quarter of the game had just started and everyone was on the edge of their seats with how close the score was. It was surprisingly still anyone’s game and a lot of the students were getting antsy. Each little thing that happened on the field either brought a chorus of cheers or groans from the stands since the end result hung in the balance of each play.

Tim slumped against him with a sigh. “Is this game ever going to be over?” she complained.

Jason chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s the last quarter so it shouldn’t be too much longer. We could make things a little more interesting though…”

She perked up at that, eyes alight with glee. “What exactly were you thinking?”

“How about this…” Jason said, looking around. He was aware of Roy and Kori listening in to them. And that Roy had finally managed to wake up again. Unless Kori and smacked him so that he wouldn’t drool everywhere, which was a high possibility. “If my team wins, you give me a kiss.” Jason knew that he was going out on a limb here and possibly taking a risk, but he hoped that Tim was just desperate enough to buy into it and make the deal even if she wasn’t really interested in the whole kissing aspect.

Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him. She hummed and turned her attention back to the field. “What would be on the table for me if my team wins?”

“Ugh…” Jason said eloquently, eyes searching the world around him for any sort of sign. “I give you a kiss?” he asked.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye and quirked an eyebrow.

“Or I could buy you pizza. Roy, Kori, and I were going to get some after the game anyway. So if you wanted to come along…” he trailed off.

“Mr. Todd, I do believe you have a deal,” she said with a smirk.

Jason grinned, all teeth and turned his attention back to the game, body thrumming with energy now that he had something on the line and unconsciously shifting forward as his eyes remained trained on the players.

“I can’t believe we lost,” Jason groaned. “And it was so close, too.”

Tim snickered behind her hand as their group walked into the diner. There were a few other students there already decked out in their school shirts and face paint, but they’d beaten the crowd at least. He was hoping that everyone else would want to go home or would find other places to eat instead and it wouldn’t fill up. Jason would rather not have to deal with a lot of other high schoolers when he was trying to spend as much time with Tim as possible.

“What’ll it be?” A waitress asked, coming over to their table.

“Four Cokes and a large cheese pizza,” Jason said, throwing an arm over the back of the booth cushion.

She raised her eyebrow at Jason’s quick response, but stuck her notepad in her apron and walked back towards the kitchen to put in their order and get their drinks.

“I’m so glad that game is over,” Roy said, slumping against the wall.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Jason offered.

Roy sent him a glare before returning to his task of trying to bury his head in the wall. “I’m never going to another football game for as long as I live.”

“Now you are just being dramatic,” Kori said, rolling her eyes.

Jason snickered and Roy continued to grumble.

“It wasn’t too bad, but I could survive without needing to go to another one,” Tim offered.

“Thank you!” Roy exclaimed, straightening. “See! Your girlfriend knows what I’m talking about!”

Jason opened his mouth to retort that Tim wasn’t his girlfriend, but when he looked down and saw Tim blushing and staring at her lap, the words died in his throat. If she wasn’t going to object then he wouldn’t either. Their conversation was interrupted momentarily when their drinks were set down and everyone moved to open their straws and curb their thirst before the pizza arrived.

“At least we knew how to make it more interesting so we didn’t fall asleep in our seats,” Jason shot back.

Roy rolled his eyes. “Oh, is that what you’d call it? Making a silly bet sure is interesting. Especially when you get a kiss out of it win or lose.”

“It’s not just about the kiss. It’s giving a reason to care if your team wins or loses.”

Roy grumbled and petulantly took a sip of his drink. Kori was watching the two of them, fond exasperation clear in her expression.

Conversation flowed easily when their food arrived. Jason was pleased that Roy and Kori were getting along so well with Tim and that she was willing to answer their questions and offer her own to learn more about them. It made him happy and somewhere along the way, his arm moved from the back of the booth cushion to rest around Tim’s shoulders. And what pleased him even more was that she leaned into the contact, settling against his side, making warmth bloom in his chest.

“You didn’t correct Roy when he said that we were dating,” Jason said outside the diner as they watched Roy and Kori walk down the street.

“No,” Tim answered.

“Why?”

She sighed and Jason looked down at her. “Maybe because I want us to be. Again. I guess we never officially broke up to begin with unless dying in our original universe and then showing up in a different one nullifies the relationship.”

Jason took hold of her hand and they turned to face each other. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and smiled. “You know…I still owe you a kiss for your team’s win.”

“You said you would buy me pizza,” she said, stepping forward into his space.

“I already bought you pizza.” Jason wove his fingers through the ends of Tim’s hair, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “But I’d be more than happy to buy you pizza again and again if it meant that I could have a kiss after every date.”

Jason felt Tim’s breath on his lips when she huffed. “Then I guess you better get back to work so you have enough money for all the pizzas that you’re going to have to buy.” She closed the miniscule distance that was left between them and Jason immediately relaxed. It was perfect.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Epilogue! 
> 
> Thanks everyone who's read through this fic whether you started from when the very first chapter was posted or jumped on along the way. It's been a good ride. 
> 
> Cheers. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Jason grinned as he jumped off the bus and started sprinting the last block towards Bane’s gym. It was finally Friday and he was happy for more than one reason. For one thing, it was Friday which meant the weekend which meant he could spend more time with Tim and didn’t have to sit through school no matter how much better it was compared to ruling the underworld and threatening/killing people on a daily basis. It was also another payday which meant more money in his bank account for books and other things. And he was also going out with Tim after work for a night out together. They’d been steadily dating for about a month now and Jason was happy to finally be able to hold their hand again and kiss them whenever he wanted to instead of wondering where they stood with each other. Not to mention the fact that Tim wasn’t shy with their affections either and wasn’t afraid to initiate physical contact between the two of them.

                Tim hadn’t met his mom yet, but she knew they were dating and was always asking after them, especially when Jason came back from their house with leftovers of food that lasted them a few meals and seemed to taste better every time they got to eat Tim’s family’s cooking. He was hoping to bring Tim around to meet her soon. She wanted to cook for them after all and it was an important step now that he actually had someone to introduce them to. And she was really looking forward to meeting the person that really made Jason so happy in life.

                Jason burst through the doors of the gym and quickly swiped his card to push through the doors, barely managing to nod towards the front worker much to their amusement. He saw some of their regulars already warming up and caught sight of Tim’s black hair pulled back with a hair tie. It was getting longer and he always thought the look suited them even if they grumbled about their hair always falling into their face. Grinning, and eager to get to work, he made a beeline for the locker room to get changed. He pulled out his clothes quickly and rushed through the mostly empty locker room, drawing some amused looks from the other patrons who recognized him from his lessons and when he used the gym’s facilities on his own time.

                He nearly sprinted back out to the mats, gloves and handwraps tucked safely under his arms. As soon as Tim caught sight of him, they flashed a smile.

                “It’s about time you got out here,” they said.

                “Sorry. I got here as fast as I could. It’s not my fault the bus is just too slow. Pronouns?” Jason replied, getting to work wrapping his hands and moving to a spot on the mat to begin the warm-up and stretches for the class.

                “He/him,” they said quietly as the patrons quickly moved to follow Jason’s movements and Tim mimicked him. “I’m sure you can’t wait to get your hands on a motorcycle again. I know how much you loved your bike.”

                Jason nodded even as he kept his attention focused on the group in front of him. Their classes had grown since they started holding them and interest quickly expanded so rapidly that they had to limit the amount of people per class and add more sessions during the week. Jason had no trouble with handling all of the groups, but Tim wasn’t able to join every class since his hours were more restricted due to his age and he also had a few private sessions that he led during the week for people who wanted to get more work in. It was a good system they had going and Jason was more than happy to have gotten the chance to work at the gym, especially when he had some one-on-one sparring time with Tim at least every Saturday for the open sessions that many groups took full advantage of.

                Jason sighed happily as the group dispersed for the afternoon, leaving him and Tim alone. He turned to his boyfriend and grabbed his hand, grinning down at him.

                “What?” Tim asked, amused.

                Jason shook his head. “Nothing. Just…” he leaned down and gave him a kiss on the check with had Tim laughing.

                “Hey! No kissing on the clock, you two!”

                Jason groaned as Bane’s voice rung out from the other side of the gym. His head dropped before he pouted over his shoulder at their boss. “Our class is finished.”

                Bane chuckled as he walked over, waving two white envelopes in his hands. “You should know by now that I just enjoy giving you two a hard time. It’s not every day that two of my best employees start seeing each other and I can capitalize on the chance to embarrass them every chance I get. Now get out of here. It’s pay day, take your boyfriend out somewhere nice.”

                Jason grumbled under his breath as they took their envelopes and slung an arm around Tim’s shoulders as they headed back to the locker room to get changed.

                “Stop complaining,” Tim snickered. “You know that the best thing to happen to him was finding out the two of us were dating so he could poke fun. At least he’s not going berserk and breaking through walls and stealing shit.”

                Jason squeezed his shoulder before pulling his backpack from his locker. “True. Trying to keep the peace with him was not always the most fun thing to do. I’m happy to not have to deal with that anymore.” He was even more happy to pull off his sweaty clothes once he was locked in a changing room and wished that he had the chance to shower, but didn’t have anything to wash with or a towel. His clean clothes did bring some relief from the sweat that he’d built up during the class that day and his rush to get over to the gym. He shoved his gym clothes back into his bag and hurried out to find Tim already waiting for him.

                His heart felt more full than he could ever describe when Tim extended his hand to him without hesitating, the distrust that had first existed when he’d found him again completely gone. It had come to be replaced with love and a sense caring that they both shared and reveled in when they were together. Jason squeezed Tim’s hand when he took it in his own and pulled him towards the door.

                Each day felt better than the last and just as new as when they started dating so long ago. If each lifetime he got to spend with Tim got this much better, then he hoped to be with him in countless lifetimes to come. He would jump at the chance to fall for him again and again every time, whether it be slow, fast, softly, or punishingly overwhelming. Whatever universe he was fortunate enough to live in and experience, he knew that it wouldn’t be complete without Tim by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Questions, comments, concerns? I hope you're looking forward to how this plays out. I'm certainly looking forward to Tim and Jason's first meeting. 
> 
> I hope you're ready for another ride with these characters, because I totes am. 
> 
> If you want to come scream about things with me ----> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> <3 MOLIM


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